The 1980s was a rich and prosperous time for Judas Priest and heavy metal in general. Not ones to squander an opportunity, Priest became THE ultimate heavy metal band after cranking out a winning streak of albums that began with 1980’s British Steel and continued with 1981’s Point Of Entry and 1982’s Screaming For Vengeance. Elevated to multi-platinum status and touring the world through 1983, there was absolutely no reason Priest’s 1984 follow-up, Defenders Of The Faith, shouldn’t live up to the high expectations set by its predecessors. It would, in fact, become regarded by many as Judas Priest’s last truly “heavy” album as they would incorporate shades of synths on their next album – a cardinal sin to many purists.
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Legacy has remastered Defenders Of The Faith and bundled it with two additional CDs comprising the band’s May 5, 1984 stand at the Long Beach Arena. This Deluxe Edition makes a great third companion to 30th Anniversary editions of British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance. Recorded in Spain and mixed in Miami, Defenders Of The Faith didn’t offer up any hole-in-one hit singles along the lines of “Breaking The Law” or “You Got Another Thing Comin’.” Still, it was loaded with plenty head-banging mischief “Freewheel Burning,”‘ “Jawbreaker,”‘ “The Sentinel,”‘ “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” and “Love Bites.” There was also the controversial “Eat Me Alive,” a song that Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) placed at No. 3 on their list of offensive songs, referred to as the “Filthy 15.” They claimed the song encouraged oral sex at gunpoint. It was enough to keep the song off the setlist until 2008.
Little wonder that it’s missing from the Long Beach show, which readily demonstrates how hot Priest was at this point as a concert attraction. I had narrowly escaped severe neck injury from constant head-banging the year before when I saw Priest in Irvine, so I had to miss the Long Beach show, which is aptly captured for this set. They open with two “new” ones at the time, “Love Bites” and “Jawbreaker,” before wisely falling into crowd-pleasers like “Grinder,” “Metal Gods” and “Breaking The Law.” The show is fleshed out with older stuff like “Sinner,” “Hell Bent For Leather” and “The Green Manalishi, alongside every song from Defenders Of The Faith except “Eat Me Alive.” Of course, “Breaking The Law” and “You Got Another Thing Comin'” are rolled out toward the end of the show, but the setlist also goes deep with the rather underwhelming “Desert Plain” and the still-hot-and-heavy pair from Screaming For Vengeance, “The Hellion” and “Electric Eye.” As Defenders Of The Faith makes the rounds again, Judas Priest carry on with endless world tours and new albums like 2014’s Redeemer Of Souls, despite earlier hints of retirement. They’re one beast you can’t easily kill off and contain.
~ Shawn Perry
