Defenders of the faith...

Judas Priest is an English band formed in 1969 and originally composed of Al Atkins, Brian Stapenhill, John Perry and John Partridge. A group that can boast of having sold no less than 50 million records to date !

The band's career officially started the same year when they signed with the Immediate label, a label that would unfortunately quickly disappear and cause the group's de facto premature separation.

A group that rose from its ashes a year later in 1972, but it would take two more years and 1974 to re-sign with a new label, namely Gull. New label which finally allows them to release a first album called "Rocka rolla".

Album which will unfortunately go unnoticed due to a rather poor sound and questionable musical choices on the part of the producer not really in accordance with the real wishes of the members of the group.

New album "Sad wings of destiny" two years later in 1976, album which will experience a much better fate in terms of production and sales but which will struggle to produce the first hit that the group is impatiently awaiting. An album whose cover represents an angel struggling in the middle of the flames and carrying the 3-branched cross of the devil. An imaginary shock that will become the symbol of the group ...

Another change of label the following year in 1977 with the signing at CBS, signing which will significantly change the situation. The album "Sin after sin" which was released the same year benefited from significantly more funding and allowed the group to gain notoriety, even if the album in turn failed to produce a hit worthy of the name. Just like "Stained class" which will be released in 1978.

Also in 1978, the album "Killing machine" was released, an album which was not really more successful than its predecessor on the sales side but which, for its part, produced the long-awaited first hits with "Take on the world" and "Evening star ”, two titles which will come out the following year in 1979. A year 1979 which also sees the group adopting the style “leathers and crampons” which will very quickly become their Factory brand.

The passage to the 80s will allow the group to rise in power in a spectacular way, in particular thanks to the release of the album "British steel" during the year 80. Album which will make a huge planetary success and consequently explode the notoriety of the group. Three top hits will be extracted, namely “Living after midnight”, “Breaking the law” and “United”.

New notorious success a year later in 1981 with the release of the album "Point of entry", less successful but still successful thanks in particular to the title "Heading out to the highway" which will be a real hit in the USA.

The successes are now linked at an impressive speed and the year 1982 will also bring its share of top hits, the most famous of which will be "You'be got another thing comin'", track taken from the album "Screaming for revenge ”and which remains to this day their biggest success in the United States. A year 1982 which will remain the culmination of their career because the album “Defenders of the faith” which comes out two years later in 1984 will almost equal its predecessor but will struggle to produce a major hit worthy of the name. Only the Single "Some heads are gonna roll" will succeed.

The album "Turbo", which was released two years later in 1986, was also a significant success thanks to a noticeable evolution in sound. But it won't do any better than the previous album on the Singles side.

All the albums that will be released subsequently will have pretty much the same fate, unfortunately, and the band will never again manage to produce a Single capable of occupying the head of the Charts.

Which will not prevent them from continuing the adventure and producing titles of significant quality.

To discover or rediscover...

Discography (among others ...) :

70s Decade :

Rocka rolla 1974
The ripper 1976
Diamonds and rust 1977
Take on the world 1979
Evening star 1979

80s Decade :

Living after midnight 1980
Breaking the law 1980
United 1980
Don't go 1981
Heading out to the highway 1981
You’ve got another thing comin’ 1982
Electric eye 1982
Freewheel burning 1983
Some heads are gonna roll 1984
Turbo lover 1986
Locked in 1986
Parental guidance 1986
Johnny B. Goode 1988

90s Decade :

Painkiller 1990
A touch of evil 1991
Night crawler 1992
Burn in hell 1997
Bullet train 1997

2000s Decade :

Hell is home 2001
Close to you 2001
Revolution 2005
Worth fighting for 2005
Conquest 2008
War 2008
Exiled 2008

2010s Decade :

Down in flames 2014
Cold blooded 2014
Never the heroes 2018
Spectre 2018
Sea of red 2018

2020s Decade :

Panic attack 2023
Crown of horns 2023
Trial by fire 2023
Pannick attack 2024
Crown of horns 2024
The serpent and the king 2024
The lodger 2024
Fight of your life 2024

Tracks :

1974 ... beginnings which will go somewhat under the radar. But it is clear that for a first title, it is perfectly structured and it bodes well for the rest of the events ...

1976 ... we find them 2 years later and something happened, that's clear. The sound has evolved and not necessarily in lightness. In addition, it begins to beat up hard ...

1977 ... the group refines its sound year after year. At least the sound which will become his business in the years to come. And what is certain is that the core musical target of the group will never be the Dance category ...

1979 ... it took the group 5 years to position themselves on the musical scene and obtain his first major success. It is now done with this title !

1979 ... a BIG year 1979 which saw the group rise in power in a spectacular way. Here they obtain a second deserved success which rewards a fundamental work which is finally bearing fruit !

1980 ... the transition to the 80s is in force. But in their category, what is not in force ? It's the same as in the Heavy Metal category ...

1980 ... anyway, the dynamic of success is now well in place and the group continues to perform well. Admittedly, the success is limited for the moment to England but it is always better than nothing as they say !

1980 ... three titles in this year 1980 and three major successes. The group is making its place in the sun title after title with titles of certain quality and it is set to last a few more years !

1981 ... the group continues to unroll but is still chasing a first global success. They will have to be a little more patient on this one ...

1981 ... the first major hit classified in the USA. Paradoxically, it will not be classified across the Channel. It is therefore a failure for the 1st global hit ...

1982 ... they will have waited almost 10 years after their debut to finally win the Grail with this title. They finally get their first global hit and certainly do not intend to stop there. HU-GE !

1982 ... what will be surprising now is that they will alternate success only across the Channel and success only in the USA but rarely both at the same time. This time, it will be in the USA. Go figure ...

1983 ... which side of the Atlantic do you think this one will be on ? England, of course. What is also certain is that the group has hardened its style of play and we are more and more close to leaving the road. Attention gentlemen ...

1984 ... the group slows down the pace a little and the success becomes global again. It just goes to show that overspeed does not pay off, on the contrary !

1986 ... after an empty year 1985, the group is back in force, and especially in form, in this year 1986. With a style that will only please Americans ...

1986 ... the group accelerates again. A game mode that penalizes them every time in terms of success but overspeed has been an integral part of their style from the start. Hunt the natural, it comes back at a gallop !

1986 ... whatever the case, 1986 will remain as a good Cru with a 3rd title of obvious quality but which, paradoxically, will not even be classified. This is called an industrial accident ...

1988 ... unlike most of their colleagues who play in the same category and who, for the most part, changed their style and sound at the end of their career, the group continues to unroll thoroughly. We will not remake them again as they say !

1990 ... and the transition to the 90s is not going to change anything. There, we are almost close to the inaudible as the group pushes its sound delirium far. Attention, gentlemen, it smells of scorch all this ...

1991 ... and as luck would have it, as soon as the group slows down, he immediately returns to the front of the stage. The group signs here its last notorious hit, nearly 20 after its somewhat confidential debut ...

1992 ... who says overspeed, says poor performance, it's systematic. Certainly, this sound is the greatest happiness of fans of the 1st hour but frightens the rest of ordinary people. It is a choice as they say. But who will precipitate their fall in the years that will unfortunately follow ...

1997 ... of course, they will gradually disappear from the Charts Singles but the albums will continue to sell well. All is not lost as they say ...

1997 ... they still believe in it anyway. And there is no question a priori of questioning their fundamentals and especially overspeed ...

2001 ... and here they are entering their 4th decade of career, who would have believed it. Always there the little guys and determined to continue the adventure no matter what !

2001 ... now remains to be seen whether this decade of 2000 will not be one too many. Because on the Charts side, even the sale of albums is seriously starting to run out of steam

2005 ... whereas we thought the group on the verge of definitive rupture, here they are again in this year 2005 in a form for the less impressive. Sufficient in any case to make this new album a real success !

2005 ... the group was able to find a new lease of life in the middle of the 2000s and it is obvious. A good job, that's clear !

2008 ... successful albums follow one another and allow the group to continue to exist at the highest level without too much difficulty. Mighty feat from a group that started his career in 1974 ...

2008 ... a comeback that they owe only to their talent and above all to the fact of having been able to adapt to the latest rock musical trends of the moment ...

2008 ... we therefore imagine that the group will not stop there and that we risk finding them again in the years to come ...

2014 ... as expected, we find them later but it will still pass 6 years before seeing them reappear on the front of the stage. But they are well and truly there and always so motivated at first sight !

2014 ... while many colleagues have already thrown in the towel for a long time, they in any case continue to believe in it. Rightly or wrongly that's something else ...

2018 ... and they keep coming back and forth, can't stop them. As long as they take pleasure in doing what they do, isn't that the main thing ...

2018 ... a longevity to say the least exceptional and which they owe only one thing, their talent inevitably. And their irrepressible will to believe it no matter what ...

2018 ... then, will the decade of 2010 be the last in activity for the group or will they attempt the transition to the following decade ? To be continued as they say ...