Judas Priest - Sin After Sin review
| Band: | Judas Priest |
| Album: | Sin After Sin |
| Style: | Hard rock, Heavy metal |
| Release date: | April 23, 1977 |
| Guest review by: | Spyroid |
01. Sinner
02. Diamonds And Rust [Joan Baez cover]
03. Starbreaker
04. Last Rose Of Summer
05. Let Us Prey
06. Call For The Priest
07. Raw Deal
08. Here Come The Tears
09. Dissident Aggressor
10. Race With The Devil [The Gun cover] [Recorded during the Stained Class sessions] [2001 re-release bonus]
11. Jawbreaker [Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California, USA in May 5, 1984] [2001 re-release bonus]
With 'Sin After Sin', Judas Priest released an album that I believe is one of the very first heavy metal albums. I don't deny that Black Sabbath invented the genre, but Judas Priest is mostly far away from the blues while Sabbath based all their early stuff in blues rythms and scales. So this might be one of the first albums on which a heavy metal band stepped away from the blues and started to define the the new born genre's own rules.
The solos and riffs on 'Sin After Sin' are very melodic, and the 'twin guitar syndrome' that Judas Priest is so famous for is used all the time. Some riffs are very furious for an album released in 1977, like in 'Dissident Agressor', but there are also a lot of calm tracks and passages, like the break in 'Sinner' or 'Last Rose Of Summer'. Another suprising ingredient is that double bass drums are actually used, which wasn't exactly mundane back then like it is today.
I always claim that albums need to be very consistent to reach higher ratings, and there is no song on this album that I dislike. It is very diverse with both lots of melody, fury, beauty, speed and calmness which creates very good contrasts. I believe that the tracks that I would recommend the most interfere with the common opinion, that 'Sinner' and 'Starbreaker' are the best songs on this album (they are at least the ones that they play live most often). I prefer 'Diamonds And Rust' and 'Let Us Pray/Call For The Priest' - the last one could probably have been influence for the whole power metal genre.
Easily one of Judas Priest best albums and a classic album in the heavy metal history!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 7 |
Written by Spyroid | 12.06.2008
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
Comments: 7
Visited by: 118 users
| ponderer Posts: 153  |
Great review. I think Sad Wings of Destiny is better, but this one ranks way up there for sure. Sabbath takes honors for being heavy metal first, but I think Priest were really starting to define the genre and utilizing the dueling guitars well. Really nice review man!
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| Spyroid Rosetta Stoned Posts: 1023  |
Written by ponderer on 28.06.2008 at 21:11 Thanks a lot! I completely agree without, except that I think 'Sin After Sin' is a liiittle bit better than 'Sad Wings'.
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| ponderer Posts: 153 |
Written by Spyroid on 29.06.2008 at 18:50 Sin After Sin is a bit better produced and you get a little more out of the band, but yet there's something really raw somehow refined about Sad Wings of Destiny for me. Stained Class is probably my personal favorite.
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| Jotun_01 Account deleted |
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| Ace Frawley The Spaceman Posts: 1459  |
I think this album contains one of the great songs in Dissident Aggressor. It must have sounded incredible in the context of the time i.e. 1977.
---- The sun shines over The Fool...
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62026  |
I have to agree whit statement where you describe its far away from bluesy, but I would say that statement fits in in the next album !
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Dorian75 Posts: 53  |
Great album. The song ''here come the tears'' is a true gem. Sinner and Dissident Agressor are just a masterclass for the generations to come. The ''last rose of summer'' is a missing opportunity. It could have been an all-time classic if the verse vocal melody was different.
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