JUDAS PRIEST – Painkiller +2 [Japan Blu-spec CD2 remastered reissue]

A couple months ago we featured here JUDAS PRIEST most relevant albums in its Japanese pressings / remastered edition. And many of you asked for “Painkiller” too, fully remastered and pressed on Blu-spec CD2 that employs the Phase Transition Mastering, the technology developed for mastering of Blu-ray discs.
In an effort to recapture metallic edge they once held so dear, Judas Priest ratcheted up the tempos, ramped up their aggression and wrote a batch of songs that approached the ferocity of speed metal. Straight out of the gate, Priest fired on all cylinders with a barrage of hammering double-bass drumming, blowtorch guitars and banshee vocal shrieks.

”Painkiller” marked the debut of drummer Scott Travis (ex-Racer X), who provided more urgency and flair to the band’s songs than Judas Priest’s earlier drummers, perfectly complementing the band’s renewed energy and immediacy. Travis, who has been with the band for 25 years, is Judas Priest’s longest lasting drummer.

The group started writing Painkiller in late 1989 and entered Miraval Studios in Correns, France, with producer Chris Tsangarides (Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Yngwie) in January, 1990. Three months later, the band finished the record at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands. Judas Priest had wanted to release Painkiller as soon as possible so fans would know the songs by the time the group was knee-deep into summer touring.

However, CBS Records decided to postpone the release of the album until the verdict from the Vance Vs. Judas Priest trial came in. The court case involved two young adults in Reno, Nevada, who entered a suicide pact on Dec. 23, 1985 after receiving “so called” subliminal messages from the song to “Better By You, Better Than Me,” which is on Judas Priest’s 1978 album Stained Class.
The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence on August 24, 1990 and CBS promptly found a slot on their release schedule for ”Painkiller”.

The album entered the Billboard album chart at No. 26 and went gold four months later. To date, ”Painkiller” has sold over two million copies worldwide. Judas Priest toured around the world throughout 1991, but during that time tensions were growing between Halford and the rest of the band.
The singer wanted to pursue his own brand of metal with a side project and his bandmates felt he should devote himself solely to Priest, especially since the group seemed to be staging a comeback.
Incensed, Halford quit in 1992 via a fax and continued his metal career, first with Fight, then with Halford.

Halford still considers the title track, a barreling showcase of speed and agility, to be one of his favorite Priest tunes. The song tells the story of a gleaming metal angel sent to avenge mankind from the evildoers in the world. “I think it’s a wonderful statement. It embodies what metal is – it’s everything a full-on screamy metal track should have” – he said.

Other tracks, including the chunky, chugging “Hell Patrol” (about U.S. pilots in the first Gulf War), the guitar-blazing “Metal Meltdown,” the charged, melodic “Between the Hammer & the Anvil” and the slower, hook-saturated “A Touch of Evil” were instrumental in proving to old fans that the band could crush and maim with feral abandon and then step back and deliver a more deliberate blast of mid-paced songwriting.
A killer album.

ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＡＬ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ 【SICP～30377】
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01 – Painkiller
02 – Hell Patrol
03 – All Guns Blazing
04 – Leather Rebel
05 – Metal Meltdown
06 – Night Crawler
07 – Between The Hammer & The Anvil
08 – A Touch Of Evil
09 – Battle Hymn
10 – One Shot At Glory
BONUS TRACKS:
11 – Living Bad Dreams
12 – Leather Rebel (Live)

Rob Halford – vocals
Glenn Tipton – guitars
K.K. Downing – guitars
Ian Hill – bass
Scott Travis – drums
with:
Don Airey – keyboards, Minimoog bass

BUY
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-30377