Metalogy
Second wave British heavy metalists, Judas Priest may have been initially eclipsed by the more mainstream success of stateside bands likeMotley CrueandMetallica, but the 65 tracks collected in this box set are a testimony to how seminal the band really was to the rock canon--influencing not only Crue and Metallica, butIron Maiden, theCult, and countless other headbangers with their dark epics suites of rage and confrontation, blazing a scorched trail for what would become the speed/death metal boom of the eighties. Armed with a slashing two-guitar arsenal, and Rob Halford's sneering lead vocals, Priest made the world forget that they actually lifted their name from aBob Dylansong ("The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest") by the time they released their second album, 1976'sSad Wings Of Destiny, which established the band's high watermark of artistic vision and technical acumen. Even the band's rather unformed first album,Rocka Rollais vastly improved by modern technology--all the tracks collected here are completely digitally remastered, and given an aural luminosity that the originals didn't possess--but perhaps the most telling moment is the shivering heave of a song like "Beyond The Realm of Death" or the menace and virtuosity of the live version "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)," that makes you want to unpack the leather and chains you stashed away at the end of eighties. Also included in this package are the requisite b-sides, rarities, live performances, and the ubiquitous "lost" demo, but the real gem is a DVD of a 1982 Memphis show from theScreaming For Vengeancetour, remixed with the splendor of 5.1 sound.-- Jaan Uhelszki