A Non-Metalhead's First Time Hearing PAINKILLER by Judas Priest - BLIND REVIEW + ANALYSIS + REACTION 

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Painkiller is not a good starting point for Judas Priest. When it came out, it was so different from what they had done before that it almost seemed like a different band. This was the first song with their new drummer, so that explains the drumming. Halford doesn't usually stay in the shrieking range with his vocals like he did here. He's usually in the lower range like at the end, frequently going into the really high stuff in smaller doses for effect. I think you might enjoy stuff like Solar Angels, Fever, or Out in the Cold. Also, Cathedral Spires is an amazing song from the time that they had the replacement singer when Halford left. The stuff after Painkiller tends to be much more intense than the stuff that came before it, but I actually prefer the older stuff. The lyrics are never really going to impress you all that much, but like you said, they aren't really the point.

Please listen to their song "Victim of changes" from 1975 Its way more blues inspired and is at the start of what metal would be. So you can see the groth they had as a band and perfect example how metal started and how it evolved. Just within one band.

This is the definition of Heavy Metal 🤘

I understand that it's something that doesn't click for everyone, mainly due to the intensity and camp of this song (I believe) But man, just listening to Painkiller makes my pulse skyrocket in a good way. Every part of the song keeps you on your toes and it never gets boring. It's in some regard the DEFINITION of metal in a way Anyway, love your reviews and keep doing what you're doing! 👍👍

THE PRIEST IS BACK 🤟👊🤜🥁🤛👊🤟

Holy shit was perfect man, that's what we all thought when we first heard it, you got a like and sub for such a warm review of my beloved Priest

If someone ask you what heavy metal is, just show them this song. Believe me, watching it live is like a hammer smashing your chest. Great review!

Definitely listen to the newest Judas Priest song, "Panic Attack" as well, it's lyrics are way better than "Painkiller", but also, they still have that Heavy Metal grip even though Rob Halford, the lead singer, is over 70 years old, just incredible.

You really need to check out more Judas Priest, specially their older material such as Victim of Changes, Electric Eye, or Beyond The Realms Of Death. Either way, Rob's vocals are absolutely impressive. Which is why he is referred to as The Metal God. By the way, great reaction 🤘🤘

Priest has a wide variety of approaches to Heavy Metal as one of the early founders of the genre from the 70s. 'Painkiller' came out in 1990 when the band was already well-established and had nothing to prove... and still did so anyway. Its likely the most jarring song in their catalog. Incredible intensity. For more songs to explore, try the reggae-tinged "The Rage" from the British Steel album from 1980. Or the archetypal power-ballad "Beyond The Realms Of Death" from the 1978 album, Stained Class, with its epic bluesy guitar solo and powerful vocals. Or the anthemic, "Rising From Ruins" from 2018's Firepower. There's lots of great tunes from each era. Enjoy!

Check out their live cover of “Diamonds and Rust” (Joan Baez) from the Unleashed in the East album.

I agree with composition guy, that riff towards the end after the da da daa da da daaa da da da da da da da da da is so epic ! Kind of a solo guitar sound along with the drums, Priest has an endless supply of great Metal songs, thanks

Definitely a step on the gas and crank too 11! Thanks for your reaction review!

You, sir, are finally a musician who keeps enjoying the art!

What a great fkin song. Nice reaction homie. Love from UK

Try Nightcrawler from the same album I believe, it’s incredible!

As a metalhead and huge fan of Judas Priest, I agree it is a great score. I would rate it 9,5 out of 10.

Great reaction !!!....love your analysis, please , i would love to have you review Iron Maiden's " The Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner "

His voice is so much more than what this song let you know

Dude the whole album is Fire. Metal Meltdown might even be tied with Painkiller for the best song on the album.

Fair assessment, I am more of an 8.5, but solid reaction and you explain your thought process brilliantly. This is about the heaviest song from Judas Priest, their earlier work is pretty tame compared to Painkiller. They are still selling out shows and have been for 54 years haha

The video for "A Touch of Evil" is beautifully done. And nightmare material.

The first time I heard this song I thought the devil was coming out of my radio

I loved your video

17:31 actually, yes. Yes, it is the vocal rating should be a rare 10. This voca peformance is legendary.

Judas Priest is a great band! A couple of my favorite songs are “blood red sky” written about the terminator future and their cover of “Johnny b Goode” now starting with “painkiller” is a bit like learning to drive right on the freeway!

In overall Priest lyrics in the 70´s are impressive, also song structures more adventurous as they changed in the 80´s onwards. I would suggest Victim of Changes and Beyond the Realms of Death. Best metal band by far-second to none (stands in Rapid Fire).

The Metal god doing what he does best and just kills it . The band as always performs perfectly nuff said.

JP is my favorit Heavy Metal Band. I saw them live in 1991 at Irvine Meadows CA, and there is actually video of that show on youtube. (There were two shows, I can't remember if I went to the Friday or Saturday show). My thoughts everytime I watch Painkiller from that show is that they sound like a well oiled machine. The first time I listened to Painkiller I was completely blown away, and to this day, it is a top 5 JP song for me, and the first solo, by Glenn Tipton, is my favorite of all his solos. First time watching one of your reactions so I am not sure if you have ever reacted to Alter Bridge. They are more of a hard rock, with a touch of metal, band, but they are my all time favorite band of any genre. Cry of Achilles from their Fortress album is a masterpiece and musical journey, as is Fable of the Silent Son from their latest album Pawns & Kings. Check them out some time. They don't have a sub-par song -- in my opinion.

First of all: Nice video, enjoyed it very much, nice style, great thing with the composition breakdown. Keep it on! It was my first watch on your channel an therefore that Judas Priest are one of the really big (and older) guys of the genre, they still perform great live. And Painkiller is one of the really iconic songs of the metal genre. You just need to hear the very first millisecond of the intro and you know which song is played. But the whole album is a masterpiece. It was kind of revolutionary when it came out. If you want to dig a bit deeper into the power and speed metal of these times, i would recommend the song "Keeper of the seven keys" from "Helloween". But!!: Do the live version with of their "pumpkins united" tour. That os a journey with all three singers of the bands history, also Kai Hansen on guitar etc. Thank you for the nice vid!

The official lyric music video is amazing.

Esta es la madre de todas las canciones heavy metal .....lo tiene todo ,todo .

Another great and honest review👌Really dig your style doing these👍 I wonder, what would you think of "Ren - Hi Ren", which is probable the most reviewed videos lately? Note: video has been recorded in one take, which gives it another angle.

9:25 I would agree that I like the more subtle Rob Halford vocals to constent falsetto. My favourite Judas Priest song is electric eye (and my favourite album is screaming for vengeance) because he switches between falsetto and normal vocals. That album also has a mix of faster and slower tempo songs, though none as fast as this. The song structures are also more traditional, which I usually I don't prefer but I feel like the later priest song structures are a little random.

IMO what made them write a song ( and album) like this was because they were kinda the metal kings in the earlier eighties but by the end of the eighties bands like Metallica and Megadeth had kinda taken over and priest had a couple of weaker albums the fans weren't crazy about so I think this was them saying hey we're still the kings of metal!! That's my take anyway, worked for me! Great albums!

The most impressive thing is the whole album. It isn't that often you get an album that is so creative, varied and solid. Even the weakest track would be considered top shelf on any metal album. Now...THAT is impressive!

I totalled two cars listening to the track “Painkiller”…….the good old days 🤪🚘🚘

Awesome reaction to Priest and now try the classical and metal sounds of the song Beyond the realms of death 💀 awesome instrument s and hear the true nature of the singers voice 🔥🔥🔥

Judas Priest is my favourite band from youth

Dreamer Deceiver/Deceiver

it was also debut track for American Drummer Scott Travis who is a Animal on Drums (and he still loyal to Priest over 33 years)

"Holy S#;t" is exactly the correct response.

Good reaction, I'd highly recommend checking out their earlier albums like Stained Class (their best IMO), Sad Wings Of Destiny (their breakthrough) to get a true reflection of their earlier style. Painkiller was Priest's reaction to the emergence of Thrash metal and proved that classic Heavy Metal could still more than hold it's own. There's a ton of great material from Priest that's more than worth a listen tbh.

I'd highly recommend watching the live video for "Steve Vai - I know you're here" from the G3 guitar festival. It's a uniquely special performance. Cheers

Would love to see a Los Lonely Boys reaction from you. not metal like what you have been reacting to but they are a great band nonetheless. I recommend My Way myself but their most popular track is Heaven.

Some say Painkiller is not a great introduction to the metal fire of Judas Priest. I disagree. To me it's the perfect metal snapshot. If you're not entirely sure what heavy metal is or if you're just getting into it? Painkiller the song and the album are great starting points on a new metal head's journey. For me? Judas Priest have always been the quintessential heavy metal band, even if you wouldn't have guessed that hearing Rocka Rolla or Sad Wings of Destiny, their first two albums. To me, they are the dictionary definition of heavy metal, and Painkiller is the perfect metal song. And Painkiller the album is the perfect metal album. I've been a Judas Priest fan since I first heard "Exciter" the opening track from their Stained Class album. Their 4th studio album. Also started with bad-ass double kick drums from then drummer Les Binks. But after listening and falling in love with that album, I went back and bought everything by them. Back to their debut album Rocka Rolla. They were a completely different band back then. Truly. Their next album, Sad Wings of Destiny, became my favorite by them for a long time. But, Sin After Sin was excellent too, and was the first album that saw Priest heading in a much more strongly metal-based direction. They brought in young studio drummer Simon Phillips for the album because previous drummer Alan Moore was holding them back to his limitations. Stained Class followed and is excellent all the way through. Hell Bent for Leather (Killing Machine everywhere else but here in America) was next and they were fully heavy metal now, if anyone wasn't sure at that point. Their live album Unleashed in the East Live in Japan is a great live chronicle of Priest's trajectory into a full blown heavy metal band. Sadly, drummer Les Binks left the band after that album because their management wanted him to not get paid for his contributions to Unleashed in the East. And no one in the band spoke up for him, so he felt he had no choice but to leave. Dave Holland, former drummer for Glenn Hughes's band Trapeze, came in on drums and brought a bit of a funkier rhythmic edge to Priest's metal. Not an intricate or flashy drummer, Dave's drumming gave the albums he played on a definitely funkier feel. British Steel was Dave's first album with Priest, and the band at this point had decided that heavy metal anthems were their strong suit, and nearly every song they wrote from British Steel through Ram It Down, Dave Holland's last album with Priest, leaned heavily on the heavy metal anthem formula. Big hooks big sing or shout along choruses, and hooks upon hooks upon more hooks. Point of Entry, long my next favorite album featured the perfect concert-opening track "Solar Angels". Although having said that I also loved "Electric Eye" as a perfect concert opener...until Solar Angels came out. Screaming for Vengeance followed next and continued with more metal anthems, as did Defenders of the Faith. Then Turbo hit, and Ram It Down and Dave left the band so Scott Travis could blow everyone away on Painkiller. And that's just the first half of their legendary metal journey. So for me? This is the perfect introduction to Judas Priest. Then you can go back to their earlier albums and see their progression into the truly heavy, heavy metal band they are now. I mean, they covered Joan Baez's hit Diamonds and Rust, even though they did metal it up a bit. (They metalled up their take on the Chuck Berry classic Johnny B. Goode on Ram It Down, so there is that. Actually, they really metalled up Fleetwood Mac's hit The Green Manaleshi With the Two-Pronged Crown quite a bit. And totally metalled up their cover of the Spooky Tooth hit Better By You Better Than Me. Speaking of progressions as a heavy metal band. Actually? Unleashed in the East is probably the best introduction to earlier Era Judas Priest. They play songs off nearly all their albums except Rocka Rolla. (You will probably not believe that album is by the same Judas Priest that slammed out Painkiller. Took them several drummers to get the right fit, but since they added Scott Travis on drums? They have truly become Heavy Metal legends.)

I think you should check out something from the beginning like Victim of Changes, then something later like Spectre or the very latest single, Panic Attack.

Try listening to something by Yngwie Malmsteen. You will be amazed!!! I recommend "Icarus Dream suite" with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.

Priest had been 'worldwide' for about 15years by this time. Many had written them off as 'old school', no longer relevant? As bands like Metallica, Megadeath, etc had taken over the forefront with speed/thrash metal. This album was Judas Priest's "hold my beer" album, and they came out full broadside.

Would love for your review of Beyond the Realms of Death which a totally different but no less impressive side of Priest.

This song is metal! Take every metal song you've ever heard and this is the culmination.

Judas Priest es una tremenda banda! Painkiller quizás no es la mejor opción para comenzar su catalogo, ya que es una respuesta al medio que decía que ya no podían hacer heavy metal, te recomiendo Dreamer/ Deceiver - Deceiver live BBC... mas en la onda setentera. luego fueron evolucionando su sonido hasta ser pioneros en el heavy metal. saludos.

give Fever a try, on the screaming for vengence LP

Small point. How in hell does Scott Travis not get a music credit? I've even heard drum techs now use that intro to show off, er, i mean... "tune" their kits. IMO, Judas Priest were becoming pretty stale at the time since their 80s metal apex. Thrash and hair metal bands started grabbing the thunder and spotlight. Got to remember they debuted in the late 60s. But when Travis came in he elevated the band to a completely new level. Showed those other L.A. metal kids how it's done! And "Holy shit (x2)" deserves its own category.😆i'll send a request soon!

You should check out Art of life or Rose of Pain by X Japan

How about letting some "King Diamond" in to your kingdom. The live at Fillmore version of "Sleepless nights" should do the trick

This is a great song, but i would recommend something like The Sentinel for a first time listen

S**t is not "Holy" but That which we all need for the good of our eternal souls Is.

Possibly the greatest metal song. You've lost me w/ scoring. Thanks for playing the song though, it's great every time I hear it.

Check out the new shit. Rob Halford is 72 years old and STILL belting out the jams

My first concert was the Rust in Peace/Painkiller tour, Megadeth and Judas Priest in '91. So I got to hear Holy Wars...the Punishment Due and Painkiller live. Ironic both of you focused on the music when Rob Halford's vocals have always been the driving force of the band. As noted below, most of their music is less intense

Painkiller is, hands down, one of the greatest metal albums ever recorded. It's a rare "all killer, no filler" record.

Subscribed, I like your analyses, guys. I would like to hear your opinions and analysis to the metal song "Soldier Stands Solitarily" by LOVEBITES.

Sounds fair, I'd probably give it a 9 but 8 is a very fair and considered score 🤘

Great review, but Judas Priest is so so so much more than just the style of music, if you listen to songs, like Nostradamus, or epitaph, or victim of changes, beyond the realms of death, turbo lover, they change with every album and halford’s is the most amazing diverse vocalist, this side of Freddie Mercury and Ronnie James Dio

This song should have never been your intro to Priest. It is the equivalent of pouring grain alcohol down a non drinkers throat, then asking how they like drinking? I would recommend giving their "Unleashed in the East" a few runs then coming back to this song. This would help you acquire a taste before you get run over by the Pain Killer. That is just the advice of a life long fan.

I started of with Breaking The Law from them due to The Simpsons but that turned me away from Judas Priest. What turned me back around was this song

you spelled 10/10 wrong.

"Blindly reviewing Painkiller by Judas Priest".. Oh boy are you in for a ride.. LOL

You have no experienced METAL until you listen to MEGADETH

Rob Halford is the metal God!!!!!! Song not up your alley, you are going to be hated on!!!!!!

You might as well MONETIZE your videos as RU-vid forced me watch commercials first anyway.

Music is important not lyrics Why .because only 16,33 % songs are english language. Yes Voice notes are more important then messegaes. = start learn estonian language then You understand me more.

When it comes to Judas Priest, can't skip "The Sentinel"

Fired for the haircut and calling Nickelback metal!