It has to be here, but whatever cheese and glue have been left in the aether after it, are irrevocably washed away with the hyper-active speed metal delight “Freewheel Burning”, the “Painkiller” prototype which Halford proudly post-announces as “primal thrash metal”.
It’s hard to completely ignore “Turbo Lover “, sounding much better live, a bouncy heavy lover… sorry, rocker which, if nothing else, is the most emblematic piece on the entire tour. Any concert that comprises “Electric Eye”, one of the finest numbers ever composed, is destined to remain in the annals of history, and the guys make no mistake, the “Screaming for Vengeance” opener is here, notching up the atmosphere to fever-pitch proportions. Strange… and good.ĭisc two is much better arranged with “Rock You All Around the World” tossing everyone in the air initially, sped-up here and turned into a near-speed metal roller-coaster, the finest song on the “Turbo” and a prime flag carrier.
Not too many cuts from the “Turbo” so far… just the first and the last one. Nope, doesn’t do it for me, this introduction to the first disc but then it all steam-rolls from there with the evergreens “Metal Gods” and “Breaking the Law” from “British Steel”, and when this glorious triptych (“Love Bites”, “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll”, “The Sentinel”) from “Defenders…” enters the fiesta easily hits the roof, with “Private Property” wrapping it on, hardly a major party spoiler with the rowdy chorus and the catchy rhythms. Putting “Out in the Cold” up front, the only ballad on the album… well, sending 20,000 people out in the cold on a June night, at an impossibly hot place like Texas may not be the worst idea ever, and why not cross the romantic material off the list first? Sure thing, that could be forgiven after a few-hour deliberation, but why “Heading Out to the Highway” right after? It never ceases to beat me why the guys like this song so much, playing it everywhere, humming it in the bathroom even I’m sure… the only justifiable reason I see for this to be included here is as a mere obligatory entry from the mediocre “Point of Entry”… although for me personally “Hot Rockin’” from there is a much better choice anywhere anytime, a decidedly hotter rowdier, more boisterous proposition. With the lathe raised inordinately high some eight years earlier, this compilation here had quite a bit to live up to… and it did for sure as the musicianship is top-notch all over, the sound is tremendous, the support from the audience is absolutely inspiring, and the song collection is… well, that last part seems to hobble a bit, and this is the reason why this effort doesn’t get a higher score. Judas proved themselves immaculate live performers on the extraordinary “Unleashed in the East”, one of the five greatest concerts ever produced in the history of metal, and probably in music in general. America was the coveted place to conquer and here they were, five English veterans, revitalized and unmetallized with cheese and glamour to spare, landing on the other side of the Atlantic, by all means eligible for immigration. The band’s diehard fans mustn’t have been very happy with this caramelized stylistic shift I mean, did Europe really need a Motley Crue clone to jump around, sing “Hot for Love”, “Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days“, and throw toffee and other sugar candies at the audience… what about those with diabetes? Cause the danger back then was pretty big that the once-British steelers and metal gods would throw all this down the drain and would become pop-metal entertainers… and the latter possibility became even bigger when the album sold very well, prompting the band to come out with a massive tour in support of it. Quality-wise, however, things were vacillating, and this opus remains one of the weakest achievements in the Priests’ discography, tussling at the very bottom of the list with “Point of Entry” and the goofy rocky debut. Yes, the mid-80’s were successful times for Rob Halford and Co., no doubt, and judging by the reception the “Turbo” album enjoyed commercially, there was little to complain finance-wise either.
“Priest, priest, priest…”, yeah, I can still hear the chanting of the priests… sorry, fans… we’re talking 20,000 maniacs out there, after all, raving like lunatics… it was only Scorpions who were able to attract larger crowds at the time.