Judas Priest - Battle Cry (2016) [Hi-Res]

It’s big, it’s vast, it’s Judas Priest, here captured live in all their glory at last year’s Wacken Festival. And it’s arguable this is their finest live release since 1987’s Priest…Live.

With guitarist Richie Faulkner now well worked into the line-up, there’s a power and focus about the band that perhaps wasn’t quite there towards the end of predecessor KK Downing’s tenure. Faulkner’s interchange with Glenn Tipton at the start of Victim Of Changes has drive, poise and attitude. And their twin guitar flashpoints are the fulcrum of the sound, allowing Rob Halford to shine through with his unmistakable vocal delivery.

The set spans the band’s extensive career. New songs like Dragonaut and Halls Of Valhalla nestle neatly up against the recognisable strains of Beyond The Realms Of Death, Breaking The Law and Turbo Lover.

Naturally, the Harley is ridden onstage by Halford before they kick into Hell Bent For Leather. And the pounding show ends with the iconic You’ve Got Another Thing Coming and the blazing Painkiller.

Priest are peerless throughout. The energy levels never drop, and the huge stage set gives them the backdrop from which to mount the sort of assault that marks them out as the reigning metal gods.