When I was little and got into Metal, Judas Priest was releasing albums that didn't interest me like Turbo and Ram it Down. So I didn't get into Painkiller until 92 or so. Back then, Power Progressive Metal was by far my favorite music genre and I realized that the sound I was in love with (specially the singing style) was pretty much created by Judas Priest. I taped and listened to Painkiller. It later became one of my favorite albums of all times and Priest one of my favorite bands. It also initiated the process that led me to discover their whole discography. With that said, I'm not a fanboy and I do like Jugulator and some Demolition songs. Halford had "left us" and was doing crappy music while Tim Owens stepped up. Then Halford came back and the latest album are quite good except for Nostradamus. And now we have the pleasure to be blessed with a return to form from the metal gods. Let me get right into it, Firepower is their best album since Painkiller. And probably will remain among my top 10 Priest albums. It's full of energy, heavy great drumming and riffs, Halford did a great job and the production is fantastic (albeit a bit loud). Firepower sounds like Priest in 2018. Meaning, it clearly has several hallmarks of their classic sound, but it also sounds modern and timely. It's a very direct album, most of the songs are below 5 minutes and fast tempo.
The album opens with the title track which is one of the best of the album. It has a Painkiller vibe, so yes, heavy and fast, catchy chorus and great vocal harmonies. Without loosing any momentum the second track is the single "Lightning Strike" which follows the same vibe as the opener. Fantastic bridge and awesome chorus with Halford using some aggressive singing. "Evil Never Dies" keep things up on the same lines and features a catchy bridge/chorus and breakdown reminding me of "Nightcrawler". "Never the Heroes" is another single and it's a bit slower tempo. It's ready to be a sing along favorite, I can already see this one live. "Necromancer" picks up speed and it's the closest one to the Jugulator era. "Children of the Sun" has a nice groove, it's very Sabbath-like, great track. "Guardians" is the short instrumental to get some breath and then the fantastic "Rising From Ruins". A more epic and mid tempo song with a huge chorus. "Flame Thrower" is a rocker in the lines of their mid-80's singles. Another single, "Spectre", follows and displays a very modern sound and groove. Then it gets really epic with "Traitors Gate" the longest song on the album with almost 6 min and a power metal vibe that would fit a Manowar album, love it! "No Surrender" is the other rocker, the shortest track and catchy as hell.
Now the album is not perfect. With 60 minutes, Firepower is a bit too long! Despite the fact that it actually flows very well until the penultimate song. But then, the last two songs are not at the same level as the rest of the album. They could've been bonus tracks. The only other complain I have is that I miss the twin guitar and some more riffs a la classic 70's Judas Priest. The guitars are modern and the riffs are very thick. That's OK but not 100% Priest.
Overall very good album, classic Priest with a modern twist and full of instant classics. If this is their last album, which is a high probability, then one of the most legendary metal bands will leave us with a dignifying swansong.
The album opens with the title track which is one of the best of the album. It has a Painkiller vibe, so yes, heavy and fast, catchy chorus and great vocal harmonies. Without loosing any momentum the second track is the single "Lightning Strike" which follows the same vibe as the opener. Fantastic bridge and awesome chorus with Halford using some aggressive singing. "Evil Never Dies" keep things up on the same lines and features a catchy bridge/chorus and breakdown reminding me of "Nightcrawler". "Never the Heroes" is another single and it's a bit slower tempo. It's ready to be a sing along favorite, I can already see this one live. "Necromancer" picks up speed and it's the closest one to the Jugulator era. "Children of the Sun" has a nice groove, it's very Sabbath-like, great track. "Guardians" is the short instrumental to get some breath and then the fantastic "Rising From Ruins". A more epic and mid tempo song with a huge chorus. "Flame Thrower" is a rocker in the lines of their mid-80's singles. Another single, "Spectre", follows and displays a very modern sound and groove. Then it gets really epic with "Traitors Gate" the longest song on the album with almost 6 min and a power metal vibe that would fit a Manowar album, love it! "No Surrender" is the other rocker, the shortest track and catchy as hell.
Now the album is not perfect. With 60 minutes, Firepower is a bit too long! Despite the fact that it actually flows very well until the penultimate song. But then, the last two songs are not at the same level as the rest of the album. They could've been bonus tracks. The only other complain I have is that I miss the twin guitar and some more riffs a la classic 70's Judas Priest. The guitars are modern and the riffs are very thick. That's OK but not 100% Priest.
Overall very good album, classic Priest with a modern twist and full of instant classics. If this is their last album, which is a high probability, then one of the most legendary metal bands will leave us with a dignifying swansong.
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