«British Steel» is Judas Priest’s sixth album, released on 14 April 1980 by Columbia Records. The band recorded it in England between late 1979 and early 1980 with Tom Allom producing, and it is the first Priest record with Dave Holland behind the kit. The line-up is Rob Halford on vocals, K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton on guitars, Ian Hill on bass and Holland on drums.
“`Country: United Kingdom
Style: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Iron Maiden, Saxon, Motörhead
On this record Judas Priest set aside the darker, heavier themes of their earlier work and wrote shorter, more direct songs built for the radio, without giving up any of their punch. Allom’s production is spare and clean, the riffs lodge in the head, the rhythm section stays locked and Halford sings with total control. The album arrived at a moment when heavy metal was reaching for a much wider audience, and Priest got there without softening their sound.
Nine tracks fill the record. «Breaking the Law» lives on a simple, impossible-to-resist riff, «Living After Midnight» and «Metal Gods» follow, the latter with percussion that lands like marching robot steps. «Rapid Fire» opens the album on the heaviest note, «United» works as a crowd anthem and «Grinder» keeps the harder edge.
«British Steel» is the album that established Judas Priest in the United States and pulled them out of the small clubs. The sleeve, a hand gripping a razor blade, became one of the most recognisable images in metal, and a good part of the tracklist has stayed in the live set for more than four decades. In 2010 the record was reissued for its 30th anniversary. K.K. Downing, who plays on it, later revisited the band’s catalogue with his own KK’s Priest.
See also: Saxon – Denim and Leather and Satan – Court in the Act, two other albums from the NWOBHM years.
