Here we go, folks. To commemorate the release of Judas Priest’s new album, Invincible Shield, we present to you a reverent celebration of the esteemed place this band came from. This is every song from the five albums the band did in the 1970s — Rocka Rolla (’74), Sad Wings of Destiny (’76), Sin After Sin (’77), Stained Class (’78) and Hell Bent for Leather (’79) — ranked and discussed in reverse order.
47 “Caviar and Meths” (Instrumental)
I totally love Judas Priest’s worst song of the ’70s! That’s how ridiculous it is, putting this task in my hands. Anyway, this song began life in the [original singer] Al Atkins era as a 14-minute epic, and now it’s a 2:03 instrumental outro on the first album. It’s folk, it’s prog, it’s actually a little bit creepy to the point where it could have replaced “Orchid” or “Embryo” on Black Sabbath's Master of Reality and upheld that record’s spell.
46 “Deep Freeze”
We even have to cheat to find songs to fill the bottom rungs, don’t we? “Deep Freeze” is 1:58 of squalling, scary guitar noises that isn’t even named as a song on some versions of Rocka Rolla. I’ve always likened it to “Didacts and Narpets” on Rush’s Caress of Steel or “FX” on the Sabs’ Vol 4.
45 “Epitaph”
I’ll pick on “Epitaph” because I’ve always found it a bit too bouncy and Elton John to fit on Sad Wings of Destiny. It’s a piano ballad, but there are also some nice Queen touches in the chord changes and harmonies. It picks up at the end to the point where you’re really impressed that a baby band on a budget could stick around to add this much detailing to one of their non-characteristic songs.
44 “Winter Retreat”
This is the third of four chunks of the so-called “Winter Suite,” and it’s 1:30 of dour, slightly blues-tinged (or at least it gives me the blues) mellow music before “Cheater” galumphs into view. Once more the comparative is Rush, this time, the mellow part of “Twilight Zone” from 2112.
43 “Prelude”
“Prelude” is the creepy fanfare music put before “Tyrant” on . Heck, the Canadian-issue Janus Records copy that I bought as a new release back in ’76 didn’t have the song listed or included — side two started right in with “Tyrant.” But again, even though it’s piano at the core, a bunch of stuff gets added as it builds, and you come away
