Review Summary: One of Priest's key albums and also their greatest commercial triumph.
SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE was a superbly crafted album that represents Judas Priest finally reaching an important career plateau on this eighth studio release. While some hardcore fans may cite other records as better examples of Priest's creative peak, this was inarguably their most commercially well received album attaining double platinum sales in the United States.
One of the key factors in the success of this album was the refined songwriting of Halford, Tipton and Downing. Where POINT OF ENTRY’s restrained pop-metal experiments were at least a partial misfire, SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE takes a more balanced approach to its playlist. Fans of their earlier work will appreciate the inspired and adrenalized guitar workouts by Glenn and K.K. here, as well as the sheer aggression of “Electric Eye”, “Riding On The Wind”, “Bloodstone” and the off-kilter metallic groove of the title track.
Their pop-metal inclinations are doled out more sparingly, but quite effectively with “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”, which has become a crowd participation showcase for Priest and its many tribute bands. “(Take These) Chains” (written by Bob Halligan Jr.) is also a bit more commercially geared, yet still metal enough to belong on this album. “Fever” is about as close as they come to a power ballad, but even that song still drips with aggression. While the majority of the album is fairly solid, “Pain & Pleasure” is definitely the low point of the record and probably should have been left off.
Another great thing about SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE is the bright, but razor sharp production of Tom Allom. The sound of this album is a major improvement over the relatively dull sound of POINT OF ENTRY and so many of their earlier records before BRITISH STEEL.
What I probably love most though are the performances by all of the band members. Rob Halford shines especially bright here on just about every song. Halford's vocal abilities seemed almost superhuman when I first heard this album. Among the more memorable moments would probably have to be “Electric Eye”, shrieking his head off on "Screaming For Vengeance" and the bridge sections for “Devil’s Child” and “Fever”. Glenn Tipton & K. K. Downing are simply on fire throughout the record and set the bar even higher for any guitarists brave enough to learn their solos in the future.
SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE opened the door to many new fans in 1982 and should be considered an essential purchase for anyone wanting to explore their catalog. Whether or not this was Judas Priest’s best album is an eternal debate that will rage on forever. There is no doubt in my mind that this album should definitely be considered one of the finest Judas Priest albums ever made.
