Went to the local mom and pop record shop in my jr high days to get a Scorp's lp and got this as well.

Bloodsuckers is a killer track. :metal: :metal:
But I never ever heard the debut album. I think I ll check it out.

I think Rocka Rolla owes a lot to Led Zeppelin. It has heavy riffs, but also these folky passages and some blues in it.

On to the next one 'Sad Wings of Destiny' (1976) a personal favorite of mine, may even be my favorite Judas Priest album and have found their own sound, contains concert staples 'Victim of Changes' 'The Ripper' 'Genocide' and 'Tyrant' and contains a ballad of sorts 'Epitaph' with Glenn Tipton on piano. 'Island of Domination' a great riff rocker that should not be overlooked. An essential Judas Priest classic that belongs in every collection.

Alan Moore replaces John Hinch on drums on this release.

"Victim Of Changes" was the first Judas Priest song I ever heard. Still a great song.

SAD WINGS deserves every bit of its classic status. I knew a girl in college who had the angel from the cover tattooed on her back. Now THAT's hardcore!!

I need Rocka Rolla but can't seem to find a cheap used copy. I have Demolition and think it's okay;nothing special. It does have a few good songs on there,the rest are kinda bland.

That album cover screams Doom Metal... :metal:

Seriously, it's an amazing record...for my money, this is where Judas Priest begins...

Can we argue about DEMOLITION later, right now it's SAD WINGS' turn!!

Sad Wings is a dark, heavy album. I loves it!

Sad Wings is one of the greatest all-time heavy metal albums! :metal:
BRILLIANT!

Sad Wings is a spectacular classic. Not a weak tune on it.

Usually when I'm in the mood for Priest this is what I grab. 70s hard rock is my thing.

Al Atkins covered alot of songs from this on his Victim of Changes album that I thought were great too.

(refering to Rocka Rolla by the way)

yeah, I dont know what they did or learned between the making of Rocka Rolla and SWOD but they made leaps and bounds towards becomeing a great band at that point. Apparently about half the songs from SWOD were written while making Rocka Rolla, but by the time they made Sad Wings, their sound got doomier and heavier and less bluesier. Whatever they did, they changed heavy metal forever.

I have agree with ya cuz, 'Sad Wings of Destiny' as far as songwriting and performance is leaps and bounds over 'Rocka Rolla'. Granted they are still relying on a few pre-Halford Atkins material like the fore mentioned 'Victim of Changes', but they seem more confident and hungrier.

A band that is stepping outside the shadows of their influence and preparing to make its own mark.

It seems to me like Halford found his voice on Sad Wings. He's always given great vocal performances but as I recall on Rocka Rolla he was relatively restrained, but Sad Wings is when he really started asserting himself and using his range with more confidence.

I've never heard Atkins' version of "Victim of Changes" but I have heard that the final version on SAD WINGS is actually a combination of two songs, one called "Victim of Changes" that Atkins wrote, and an unfinished one called "Lady Red Light" that Halford was in the midst of writing when he joined the band. Somewhere along the way they combined the two.

Sweet album that for some reason I don't have a copy of. I need to rectify that soon.