It is rare for the metal world to get excited about a new album by a band nearing the 50-year mark in their career. And the reason is simple, the law of averages suggests that the modern-day output from bands of this category is far from satisfying, and more often than not, fails to live up to the band’s own legacy. But, ever since they announced their 18th studio album ‘Firepower’, metal gods Judas Priest have generated unparalleled excitement among fans worldwide, so much so that it has taken me over a month from the album’s release date to absorb it and come to an objective review. After their mid-’90s period of obscurity, Priest undoubtedly sparked renewed interest among longtime fans with their 2005 reunion album ‘Angel Of Retribution’, a quintessentially stellar member of their discography. But since then, in 2008 they put out the double concept album ‘Nostradamus’ which was a giant damp squib, and the long-awaited 2014 follow-up ‘Redeemer Of Souls’ was a lackluster attempt at recreating past glory. Is ‘Firepower’ any better? Unfortunately not.
Purely with one glance at the cover artwork, one could predict the nature of this beast. The ‘Firepower’ album art bears undeniable resemblance to that of the 1982 classic ‘Screaming For Vengeance’, with elements of the 1990 ‘Painkiller’ album thrown in for good measure. Much in the same manner as Hollywood blockbusters attempt modern-day sequels and reboots, this album is another attempt at recycling age-old riffs and song ideas. Is there anything wrong with that, specially for an old-school metal band? Not necessarily, as long as it is well-crafted and carries a degree of intensity and energy. No one is expected to reinvent the metal wheel in the year 2018. There are plenty of bands that release the same album over and over, and are successful at it.
The most admirable quality of the Judas Priest discography is the fact that every one of their albums from the ’74 debut ‘Rocka Rolla’ to the ’90 masterpiece ‘Painkiller’, and the aforementioned 2005 comeback ‘Angel of Retribution’, carries an identity of its own, a distinct flavor, an aura that takes you back to that time when you first listened to it. A great album is the closest humanity will ever get to a time machine, and Priest created 13 of them. Not only that, every song within every one of these albums also stood strong on its own. But since 2005, Priest have clearly lost the midas touch, and with every new album it becomes more apparent that they have run out of ideas. I strongly felt that they should have stopped making albums after the hugely disappointing 2014 release ‘Redeemer Of Souls’, but here we go again. With zero expectations, I pressed Play on ‘Firepower’, and was first hit with the title track itself.
The opening and title track of ‘Firepower’ is a regurgitation of what you would imagine as a typical Judas Priest song, except it sounds labored and lacks actual firepower, losing steam quickly despite some half-decent lead guitar work. ‘Lightning Strike’ follows suit in almost exactly the same manner. This is the biggest takeaway from the album, the sameness of the songs yet no sense of flow to the album, from one track to the next. A real album is a story in itself, with discernible ebbs and flows. There is clearly no focus on album dynamics here, and this is merely a collection of singles. ‘Evil Never Dies’ is no better or worse than the first two tracks, and ‘Never the Heroes’ is no different. Four songs in, you’re not even one-third of the way through the album, which is another major drawback. It is difficult to understand why or how there is such a grave lack of quality control, and how no one is telling them that 14 songs is far too many for a studio album. It is hard to believe that the very band that helped formulate the standard of the 9-10 track albums through their own past work is now releasing 14-track albums loaded with filler material. Whatever happened to picking your best 10 songs for an album?
As if the first third of the album wasn’t bland enough, it just keeps losing energy the further you delve into it, and it is sad to state that the album is extremely difficult to sit through in its entirety in a single listening session. May be it would have been a better product with no more than 8 of these songs, but even then, none of the songs stand out in the least bit and are completely forgettable. There is nothing wrong with the performances here, as Halford sounds amazing for a singer of his age, Scott Travis’ drumming is top notch as it always is, and as mentioned above, the guitar work isn’t bad. But the overall songwriting has no impact whatsoever, and the production also plays its part in making the album sound as bland, flat and lifeless as it does.
Judas Priest was supposed to retire in 2011 with the Epitaph World Tour, but with KK Downing leaving the band prior to the tour, it became apparent that the retirement was not going to materialize as planned, and the band would most likely keep going in search of true closure. Seven years later, they are still seeking that closure, and even though ‘Firepower’ is not a fitting farewell by any means, one seriously hopes this ends up being their final studio album.
There is no disputing what the Priest means to the genre of heavy metal, and it would serve them well to not tarnish their own legacy any further, and to retire before it’s too late. The Tim Ripper Owns era albums not counting, ‘Firepower’ is the most unlistenable Judas Priest album till date, and fans of the band would not miss anything by skipping this one altogether.
– by Andrew Bansal
Rating: 1/10
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Record Label: Epic
Release Date: March 9 2018
Track Listing:
01. Firepower (3:27)
02. Lightning Strike (3:29)
03. Evil Never Dies (4:23)
04. Never the Heroes (4:23)
05. Necromancer (3:33)
06. Children of the Sun (4:00)
07. Guardians” (Instrumental) (1:06)
08. Rising from Ruins (5:23)
09. Flame Thrower (4:34)
10. Spectre (4:24)
11. Traitors Gate (5:43)
12. No Surrender (2:54)
13. Lone Wolf (5:09)
14. Sea of Red (5:51)
Total Duration: 58:10
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