Judas Priest – Killing Machine (1978)

October 27, 2023

I find it mad that in the 70s it seemed almost common place for big mainstream acts to drop more than one album in a year. It is the only time Priest do this (I think), and the slight drop in quality perhaps shows, as this was a bit of a rush job? IDK, it’s really not that bad, and quite endearing, even though they would hit the nail on the head with this style much better in British Steel. The most damning thing about this album is that it was released in the same year as Stained Class, and whilst it isn’t necessarily the better album (Killing Machine is far more digestable), Stained Class reeked of individuality. This doesn’t.

Either way, “Hell Bent For Leather” is one of my favourite Priest songs. Inversly, “Evil Fantasies” has to be one of the worst songs ever recorded in the history of time.