Band:	Judas Priest
Album:	Point Of Entry
Style:	Hard rock, Heavy metal
Release date:	February 26, 1981
Guest review by:	Mattybu

01. Heading Out To The Highway
02. Don't Go
03. Hot Rockin'
04. Turning Circles
05. Desert Plains
06. Solar Angels
07. You Say Yes
08. All The Way
09. Troubleshooter
10. On The Run
11. Thunder Road [Recorded during the 1988 Ram It Down sessions] [2001 re-release bonus]
12. Desert Plains [Live at Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, USA in 23 May 1986] [2001 re-release bonus]

In 1980, Judas Priest released the commercial success of British Steel, an album unlike anything they had done before. Would 1981's Point of Entry emulate this sound? No. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The album is more like their previous works, and while not being an amazing album or groundbreaking by any means, fans of the older Judas Priest sound should appreciate it.


The album starts out with an excellent track; "Heading Out to the Highway." The medium tempo chugging riffs, crisp guitar sound (as opposed to the heavier sound of British Steel) and vocals from Halford are more like the band's late 70's material. The track moves along nicely, and were the whole album as consistent, this might have just become more of an essential part of the Priest catalogue. However, disappointingly, the album has some filler on it that doesn't keep this quality level up. "Don't Go" is not a very memorable track, and is an indication of the type of lukewarm songs this album has throughout. "Hot Rockin'" gives the listener another burst of prime Judas Priest excitement, and is probably the other standout track on the album. The rest is more of what you would expect, and it's not a bad formula, but there are few really exciting or interesting songs. There aren't any moments on this album that will blow you away, and there weren't any songs in the latter half that became bona fide classics, but there are still things to appreciate about this album. It's by no means terrible, and as a whole, for me, was a better listening experience than its predecessor, British Steel.

All in all, is Point of Entry a must-have or classic Judas Priest album? Probably not. It isn't as well performed or written as albums like Stained Class, and doesn't have the production and great songs of Screaming for Vengeance, the album that followed after. That being said, it isn't a bad album, and any fan of Judas Priest should find songs they like, as well as have a pretty good time with the album. Just don't expect a timeless classic like Screaming for Vengeance.