Written by Guest on 24.03.2012 at 22:12

Huge step up from the previous two Priest albums! Different from any other old album of theirs. Definately the heaviest. It's intense, I like it.

Perhaps the heaviest heavy metal album from the heavy metal history

How can anyone seriously say that this album is overrated, outdated etc... u gotta be joking!
I am aware that some of JP's earlier albums have been really important for all of the heavy metal genre, if I had to pick the most important album of them all, I would say it is Painkiller.. It is also timeless, ahead of its time and just perfect all the way... even the less popular songs on there like One shot at glory I still enjoy today just as much as when I was a kid!

There's not much out there that I can say that about.. closest might be Ride the Lightning...

Painkiller is and will always be a perfect 10 in my book

The monster album. Painkiller was the first heavy metal cd which i owned and it still remains as one of the best.

Halford & Co. have recorded so many classics that its really hard to choose their best. But actually i think this is their most perfect work ever. Each song is a absolute genious heavy metal hymn and the solos are just out of this world. We are talking about a life-changing album here. This is heavy metals finest work in my opinion.

There could be a little more emotion with their technique, but who cares? fuck emotion

I love this album. This might not be the most intelligent metal album by any stretch of the imagination (I'll admit that most of the songs don't exactly require deep analysis to understand what the band are talking about) and, if you're aware of the speed metal scene that was going on at the time, you'll know it's not the most original either (Sanctuary, Riot and Deadly Blessing, to name three of the ones with singers who were clearly taking a leaf from Halford's book, were doing this kind of thing years before Priest tried it), but it's still a great listen that comes highly recommended from me!

(And I'll throw in Sanctuary, Riot (specifically their stuff with the Thundersteel line up: I'm not too familiar with their other stuff) and Deadly Blessing in as well for a recommendation: all of them released amazing material that should appeal to fans of this album!)

One of the best albums ever by any band in my opinion. Everything about the album is brutal, technical, melodic and dominating!!!

A very fine heavy metal affair. Not as good as Stained Class or Screaming for Vengeance IMO, the second half isn't nearly as strong as the first for me personally, but still a strong album from this seminal group. It deserves the praise it receives.

Written by CobiWan1993 on 10.12.2013 at 23:27

A very fine heavy metal affair. Not as good as Stained Class or Screaming for Vengeance

or Sad Wings Of Destiny

Certainly a classic, when it's good it's ridiculously good (Between the Hammer and Anvil, Hell Patrol, Leather Rebel, Nightcrawler) but when it's bad it's pretty darn bad (Metal Meltdown, All Guns Blazing) ...all in all amazing for a band in this stage of their career, possibly the best late career pure metal album of all time..I'd have to think longer on that one, but no others are coming to mind..certainly Maiden never came up with anything close to this good post Seventh Son..

Written by pkillerjp on 10.04.2014 at 19:51

Certainly a classic, when it's good it's ridiculously good (Between the Hammer and Anvil, Hell Patrol, Leather Rebel, Nightcrawler)

How about "One shot at glory"? it's nice song too

Can anybody tell me why this album is ranked so high? The lyrics are so damn stupid.

Written by Nihil Aeternum on 22.05.2014 at 23:39
Can anybody tell me why this album is ranked so high? The lyrics are so damn stupid.

If you're going to rate metal albums based solely on lyrics I'm afraid you're going to be massively underwhelmed.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 23.05.2014 at 02:47

Written by Nihil Aeternum on 22.05.2014 at 23:39
The lyrics are so damn stupid.

If you're going to rate metal albums based solely on lyrics I'm afraid you're going to be massively underwhelmed.

LOL. maybe he didn't like same music.

Written by deadone on 23.05.2014 at 03:10

Hilarious.

I find most metal lyrics to be stupid but it doesn't stop me loving the music.

This is not right. Actually most metal band have quite good lyrics and I love many bands. I have no problem if they are meaningless or just stupid. But Judas Priest is extremely stupid. Most European folk music has more meaning ("I love her ... but she doesn't love me ... lalalala"). Metal is the best musical invention ever ... but Judas Priest is quite at the bottom of it all. They don't deserve to be among the Top 1000 IMHO.

Some guys just take the lyrical component too strongly. I mean, yeah, lyrics should mean something, but this isnt horrible, cmon...its not RHAPSODY Horrible, it tells the story and it fits the awesome music.

When something is amazing, there are always a group of people who like to disagree. clear case here

I used to enjoy this album a lot. It was the first one I heard from them. But now is just a pile of shit for my ears. I will stay with their earlier material.

And the lyrics are pathetic, but I never cared for it since I liked the music, until some time ago.

How odd. I grew out of their early stuff, and this album is all I play by them nowadays.

And people who actually care about lyrics, GTFO.

A bit overrated, I don't think it's the best Priest album. but still a very good album.

Classic of classics. in my top 3 priest album, this is the N°2. the first place goes to defenders of the faith

Absolutely amazing!

what about Sad wings of destiny?

reedemer of soul is a good album, I think judas release a very good judas-style album

voice is still great for me

... but first 17 seconds of painkiller are absolutely perfect! perfect album

Really good album but not the best from Priest

Call me crazy, but this album should have no place in any top of all time albums list. I have only been able to listen to it from beginning to end twice. I tried giving it a third and a fourth chance, but quit halfway through both times and went an listened to Sad Wings Of Destiny instead. Now that album should be in every appropriate top list. I'd give Painkiller a 7/10 at the most and I'd still feel generous.

Pain, yeah ... killer, yeah ... warrior, yeah ... steel, yeah ... hell, yeah ... strike, yeah ... burn, yeah ... leather, yeah ... rebel, yeah ... destroy, yeah ... enemy, yeah ... battle, yeah. In the 80s, I had a Commodore C64 that was able to produce - purely randomly - much more meaningful lyrics ("stars burn in eternal darkness" etc.). Maybe they have used a beta version this program to write the lyrics. However, respectfully, If they would have decided to make an instrumental album out of this, without the always bad lyrics and the annoying singing, I would give it an 8. It would rock. In any case, I really don't understand why this album is here among the Top 10000 of metal.

The lyrics are self-consciously cheesy if anything. Painkiller takes old-school speed metal and ramps it up to a ridiculous level - the lyrics are dumb but they completely fit the music.

This isn't the smartest metal album ever made, but it is one of the most fun. I usually prefer my music with a bit more intellectual depth than this, but every song is so catchy, and it's played with so much power and energy that I can't help but enjoy. Fantastic album.

Written by Ellrohir on 18.02.2010 at 18:41

I somehow dont like this album and especially i dont like the title song...

Huh? Look at how you rated this album.

Written by DJ Cosimoto on 07.09.2012 at 03:09

..., ahead of its time...

Huh? Stuff like this had been done to death at the time. It was trying to emulate Pantera at the time, somehow. And tbh they even failed at that. They did a better thing with Jugulator trying to sound like Pantera.

Actually it is a normal continuation of Defenders Of The Faith... just listen to the opener of that album... Freewheel Burning.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 10.05.2016 at 01:11

Written by Ellrohir on 18.02.2010 at 18:41

I somehow dont like this album and especially i dont like the title song...

Huh? Look at how you rated this album.

comment = 2010...rating = 2013 or so...time goes by

Written by Ellrohir on 11.05.2016 at 13:58



comment = 2010...rating = 2013 or so...time goes by

I have a same when it goes my idiot years in MS and now in music, albums and so on, my biggest changes are I don't listen non English bands (only my origibl country and Scand) when it goes not folk, black genres