Break out the leather and metal studs because Screaming for Vengeance, the Revolver of heavy metal, is finally getting a proper re-release for its 30th anniversary.
The 1982 album, the eighth for metal royalty Judas Priest , found the band topping their last great record British Steel, finding a solid balance between writing catchy, accessible songs while still keeping the dangerous metal kids happy (well, relatively happy. Those kids aren’t known to smile much, so it’s hard to tell when they’re happy). The original comes in at just 10 tracks, leaving little room for filler. “Electric Eye” and the title track are classic Priest, but “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” is the song that cemented their reputation in the U.S. and is by far the best track off of the record.
This anniversary edition includes four previously unreleased live songs and two other bonus tracks, but more importantly comes with a DVD of their 1988 US Festival show in San Bernardino, CA. That set includes a dozen of the band’s best up to that date including “Breaking the Law,” “Hell Bent for Leather,” “Living After Midnight” and “Riding the Wind.” And the liner notes for this set were written by Eddie Trunk, the dean of Heavy Metal.
Throw those devil horns in the air!
Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance 30th Anniversary Edition/1 CD and 1 DVD/16 tracks/Columbia & Legacy/2012
