Hell Bent for Leather

For Judas Priest (and, therefore, for heavy metal), 1979 was a watershed year. Studded leather and Harley-Davidsons made their way onto the Judas Priest stage and more driving, direct, breakneck-paced anthems made Hell Bent for Leather (aka Killing Machine ) their first step toward the superstar band they were about to become. Halford leads the intense charge through Delivering the Goods; Burnin' Up; Evil Fantasies; Killing Machine; Hell Bent for Leather; Evening Star; Rock Forever one of the most influential metal moments of its era!

While the title of this 1979 release perfectly fits the band's increasing S&M-inspired leather-and-chains imagery, it's a mature and fairly sharp thematic departure from its largely death-obsessed predecessor, Stained Class. While the Priest could have easily fallen into the same stultifying goth clichés as forebears like Black Sabbath, they expanded both their musical range and lyrical focus here, shrewdly burnishing the album's commercial potential in the bargain. Kicking off with the upbeat "Delivering the Goods" and the Skynyrd-worthy arena boogie of "Rock Forever," the band blasts through material that's as wide as Sin After Sin's, but better focused. There are expected metal clichés--a big rock ballad ("Before the Dawn") and some expected bad-ass posturing (the title track and "Killing Machine")--but even the band's occasional bowing to gothic expectations is informed with a sense of surprise and adventure, as witnessed by their cover of the disturbing Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac track "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Horn)." That much of this album's tack became inspiration--and then cliché--for the widespread metal revolution that Judas Priest helped foster is only testament to their enduring legacy. This digitally remastered edition features expanded artwork, new commentary by the band, and complete lyrics, as well as the bonus tracks "Fight for You Life" (a studio outtake later incorporated into "Rock Hard, Ride Free") and a manic live version "Riding on the Wind." --Jerry McCulley