A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal--Volume I (1996)
Rating--8.5
You've Got Another Thing Comin'--RealAudio
Part one of an import two-disc set--the domestic version compiles cuts from both onto one disc, while leaving off many good songs.
**Helloween--The Hellion/Electric Eye
A fairly straight-forward interpretation of this classic. Very tight musicianship.
**Fates Warning--Saints in Hell
A very respectable cover! Basically, it takes the 'Stained Class' sound and updates it 20 years. Nice...
**Gamma Ray--Victim of Changes
See above, except the vocals aren't as strong as the original--though the slow-down section in the middle of the song is very strong.
**Devin Townsend--Sinner
The Strapping Young Lad lead man steps out--and tones it down a bit--to put forth a very electric cover. Both the singing and guitar work are nice, with Townsend showing off his talents all around.
**Mercyful Fate--The Ripper
I've just never really gotten into his voice. He is one of the guys who can hit the highs like Halford, but the tone just doesn't fit for me. However, some people call this track their fave of the two-disc set, so be your own judge...
**Rage--Jawbreaker
Nice stuff. Actually more laid-back than their own (current) writing, Rage does a good job ripping through this underrated Priest tune. An underrated European band that you should check out, for that matter.
**Radakka--Night Crawler
Cool stuff from a cool band. This song, obviously one of Priest's newer ones, was a good choice to show off the Chicago band's talents. Good vocal melodies, tight, sustained guitar work, and emotional singing. Another extremely underrated band--even more so that Rage.
**Doom Squad--Burnin' Up
A collaboration between members of the new Anthrax and Whit Crane of Ugly Kid Joe. A splendid display of vocal swapping between John Bush and Crane, as well a tight six-string action. Chug-chug-chug---chug.
**Lions Share--A Touch of Evil
I haven't heard anything else by this band, but they do a good job with this Painkiller tune. They sound a bit like Radakka...
**Testament--Rapid Fire
Oh, why oh why couldn't Chuck Billy sing like the old days? I kept waiting for him to cut loose and let that melodic throat of his loose, but it just doesn't happen. This is more the Testament of 'Low' and 'Demonic' than the previous version. Still a decent cover, but could have been so much better.
**U.D.O.--Metal Gods
Former Accept singer trudges through this 1980 Priest tune, with his trademark, uh...voice.
**Saxon--You've Got Another Thing Comin'
One of my faves of all the covers. Saxon keeps the music the same, the the vocal notes are changed in certain places. Instead of singing the last word in a verse in a C, it is changed to an A, and so forth. The timing of the lines are altered a bit in places as well. A nice, refreshing take of Priest's most commercially successful tune.
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