Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls (2014) - Like a childhood hero on crutches in a rest home - 50% (15/07/14)

Judas Priest is one of the most influential metal bands of all times that released many world class records between their blues, rock ‘n roll and progressive rock infused debut “Rocka Rolla” in 1974 and their aggressive and more speed and thrash metal influenced “Painkiller” in 1990. I even adored the controversial “Jugulator” in 1997 that headed for a dark groove and industrial metal approach with a vivid new singer and I’m glad that this record finally got some re-evaluation and recognition over the past years. The last three Judas Priest records “Demolition”, “Angel Of Retribution” and “Nostradamus” were though of a good average quality at best. Judas Priest still have their moments at several live shows and I would go see the band in concert anytime but it isn’t for their more recent material. “Redeemer Of Souls” is pretty much on the same level as the previous three outputs. It’s an average record with a few highlights and a few more fillers.

I feel that this record is only slightly better than the boring, inconsistent and overlong “Nostradamus” but it’s on the same level or even slightly below the comeback record “Angel Of Retribution” and even the hit and miss record “Demolition”. Judas Priest delivers predictable mid-tempo heavy metal stompers where everybody performs in a very solid way but apart of new guitarist Richie Faulkner nobody really performs with unchained passion. The record is okay but if the name Judas Priest wasn’t written on the album cover, not many people would care about this old-fashioned release. While comparable bands like Aria, Iron Maiden and Loudness still have the pace, the passion and the will to experiment here and there, Judas Priest sound like they never arrived in the new millennium.

The new record kicks of well with the dynamical mid-tempo stomper “Dragonaut” and the catchy and more melodic title track “Redeemer Of Souls” but you soon realize that many tracks sound quite alike. Many songs sound like reinvented and slowed down tracks from classic records like “Painkiller” or “Screaming For Vengeance”. A good example is the longest track on the regular version which happens to be “Gates Of Valhalla”. The mid-tempo song tries to be heavy and anthemic leading to a simplistic but powerful chorus and I’m sure it will be a great live song. On the other side, I feel like I’ve heard very similar and better executed songs by Judas Priest in the past. It’s the same thing with the faster “Battle Cry” which is probably the heaviest track on the album but it simply sounds like a cheap “Painkiller” rehash. These kind of songs would have been original and passionate thirty years ago but today it feels old-fashioned and will only please to nostalgic heavy metal fans and die-hard Judas Priest maniacs. 

A couple of songs start in a promising way as if the band wanted to try out something new. The beginning of “Hell & Back” has a slightly melancholic and ballad orientated touch but it ends up being another standard mid-tempo track. “Cold Blooded” sounds much better because the calmer and psychedelic parts are recurring elements throughout the entire track and because Rob Halford tries to sing in a more longing manner than usual. Logically, it’s one of the better songs on the record but the band should have sounded even more atmospheric and original to really impress me here. The band finally evolves in a more distinguished way with the closing blues and psychedelic rock infused ballad “Beginning Of The End”. It’s maybe not the best song on the album because it sounds a little bit too tame to me but there is no doubt that this is by far the most original track by Judas Priest in 2014.

The limited edition of the album includes a second disk with five more songs that can’t really impress. The melodic and slow ballad “Never Forget” would have been an emotional closure if Rob Halford’s powerless vocals had sounded a little bit more passionate. The track feels somewhat strange as if this last track of the special edition was the very last song of Judas Priest’s entire career. It saddens me to realize that these old heroes might soon be history and that they end their career in such a lackluster manner.

Maybe it’s time for these legends to go and maybe they should have gone much earlier as well. I’m a quite big fan of anything Judas Priest released between 1974 and 1997 and I really wanted this new record to be a return to form for the British legends. I didn’t really believe in this miracle and the album sounds as if the band believed even less in itself. The final result is a lukewarm and old-fashioned mid-tempo heavy metal release with too many fillers, a tame instrumental and vocal performance and a sad rehash of idea’s from glorious past days. Maybe Judas Priest will carry on because it would be disappointing to leave with such a weak release but on the other side it’s hard to believe that this band can still improve and progress at this point.

My final rating is probably still a little bit too generous but I take into consideration how old this band is, that they had to deal with an important line-up Change recently and that this record would have had a better Impression on me if it had been released thirty years in the past with a Rob Halford in top form. As it now turns out, this record is for a few extremely faithful Judas Priest fans and truly nostalgic heavy metal fans only. Everybody else will either feel bored or sad about this record or both just like me.