JUDAS PRIEST

According to most historical analyses, "Rocka Rolla" is the runt of the JUDAS PRIEST litter. Received wisdom states that the heavy metal legends really came into their own on their second album, 1976's "Sad Wings Of Destiny", and that their debut was a disappointing missed opportunity: a pale shadow of the greatness to come.

The truth is that "Rocka Rolla" is a much, much better album than generally advertised. And now, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, it is reborn in splendor. Celebrating its 50th anniversary with a shiny new remix and equally shiny, new remastering job, "Rocka Rolla" finally sounds like a fitting starting point to one of metal's most illustrious legacies. Perhaps the biggest criticism levelled at the 1974 original is that its production was muted and lacked any of the flash or spark that would typify PRIEST albums thereafter. Discussing finer details can be left to people with too much time on their hands, but the self-evident fact is that this version of "Rocka Rolla" is bigger and heavier than its much-maligned forebear. Songs like fiery opener "One For The Road" and the funky "Dying To Meet You" are bright, sharp and belligerent, in a way that their original counterparts only hinted at. Equally, the progressive sweep of the space rock-tinged "Run Of The Mill" and mournful closer "Caviar and Meths" is newly rendered with depth and texture, eschewing the originals' sonically impoverished nearly metal in favor of an immersive, oddly timeless sound. It is the complete overhaul that "Rocka Rolla" always deserved.

Of course, there is no point in pretending that this newly revamped blast from the past represents any kind of pinnacle of JUDAS PRIEST's catalogue. There is a lot of truth in the idea that "Sad Wings Of Destiny" represents the true beginning of the band's grand heavy metal odyssey, and that everything from their image to KK Downing and Glenn Tipton's unmistakable, pioneering guitar tones came to fruition several years down the line. "Rocka Rolla" has plenty of great songs that are, in essence, a last hurrah for proto-metal, as the real thing was lurking just around the corner. "Never Satisfied" is the greatest of them: a song that Rob Halford played live with his solo band back in the noughties, it fits the classic PRIEST template and only falls short in terms of aggression. Likewise, the title track is as close to a textbook JUDAS PRIEST banger as the Brummies were able to get in 1974, and in its new, transformed state it makes an even stronger case for being an unsung classic. In contrast, the rambling, three-part "Winter" suite still has its heart in progressive hippiedom, despite some white-hot guitar work, and "Cheater" is a strutting blues in need of a slightly better tune.

"Rocka Rolla" is far from perfect, and JUDAS PRIEST have made so many authentic classic albums that, for most of the last 50 years, it has barely warranted a positive mention. But for once, meddling with the past has produced spectacular results. After releasing one of the greatest metal records of 2024, PRIEST have given their first chapter a righteous glow-up.