«Painkiller» came out in 1990 on Columbia and was the last album Judas Priest made with Rob Halford on vocals before he walked away. Scott Travis took over the drums, and his playing pushed the band to speeds it had never shown before, giving fresh energy to a group that was already two decades into its career.
“`Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Primal Fear, Gamma Ray
The sound of the record is one of the wildest things classic metal ever produced: storming riffs, twin guitars from Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing that steal the show, and drums that never let up. On top of that Halford sings as if he is breaking the limits of his own voice, giving the songs an intensity that keeps them in the red from the first second to the last.
The title track «Painkiller» opens with one of the most explosive riffs in the genre and its solos are still a reference point today. On an album with no weak track at all, «A Touch of Evil», the first single, stands out with its dark intro and its more mid-paced groove, together with the instrumental «Battle Hymn». Every song builds the same intensity and leaves no room for distraction.
The album turned out to be the last great moment of the classic line-up, and one of the most influential releases of its era: plenty of the power and speed metal bands that followed owe the speed and the heavy feel of their sound to this record.
It is considered one of the highlights of the Judas Priest catalogue, and more than thirty years after its release it still shows how powerful classic heavy metal can be. «Painkiller» sounds fresh and relevant to this day, as if not a single day had passed since it first came out, and it keeps its place among the favourites of the genre’s fans.
