HALFORD - Resurrection

Flashback!!!! Release date August 8/2000

Originally published in Rip'N'Tear magazine Issue #7

Metal's prodigal god returns with his hand extended requesting forgiveness for his past sins. Considering the critical contempt and buyer apathy toward his Two experiment, Resurrection would have to be a hell of a platter to get the metal community back behind this veteran screamer.

Lo and behold, Halford has indeed put together a stormer that should have rivetheads eagerly throwing down their hard-earned cash for a copy. The opening one-two punch of the title track, a 'Painkiller' for the new decade, and the screaming vengeance of 'Made In Hell' set the tone early on, with the epic 'Silent Screams' and grinder 'Slow Down' being other highlights.

Meanwhile, 'The One You Love To Hate' contains dual vocals with Bruce Dickinson, one of the other leading vocalists in metal today (indeed, this track would fit easily on Dickinson's last brilliant solo album; not surprising, considering it was co-authored by Bruce Bruce and Roy Z, along with Halford). The lone black mark on this album is the perile 'Locked and Loaded', brought down further by the lyric's gender bending sexual innuendo. (Call me a homophobe if you want!)

This ain't black, death, or speed metal - just chest pounding, glorious, old-school heavy metal. Judas Priest have their work cut out for them if they want to match this classic. Another Jugulator will not suffice.

(9)

We all know that Priest failed spectacularly the following year (refer to the Demolition review below for a sad reminder). With respect to Resurrection, gotta say that the grade I gave it at the time was inflated in retrospect. There's no questioning that there are a handful of standout tracks and many solid supporting tracks, but, when looked at in totality, it is a strong release, rather than a classic one. Sorry about that! (7.5)