The Stinkers Thread - The Guardians Edition

Despite over half the amount of songs in British Steel being brilliant classics, the album suffers a couple horrid mainstream sh*t-wipes. Listen and weep from the stench:

I completely agree Andi. I've always despised these two tracks. Thankfully the rest of the tracklisting is strong enough to maintain my interest (particularly "Metal Gods" & "The Rage" which sit amongst my favourite heavy metal tunes ever) but these two are the main reason that I don't regard "British Steel" as one of Judas Priest's best records.

particularly "Metal Gods" & "The Rage" which sit amongst my favourite heavy metal tunes ever

Two great songs from the album! Though "The Rage" sits at a passable level for me...

Yeah, this and certain other tracks from their 80s output threw me for a loop back in the day. I heard these very mainstream offerings when I was young without any knowledge of who the band was. Years later I got into Priest through their earlier works first and foremost (Sad Wings, Sin After Sin, Stained Class), then I discovered those other songs were the same band and couldn't believe it.

To this day I find their post-Stained output a lot more of a mixed bag than what came before, too often sounding like it's sacrificing some of the earlier style in favour of much more 80s US mainstream appeal.

British Steel was the album that  finally broke my love affair with Judas Priest. I had been a Priest fanatic since Sad Wings of Destiny was released and so I had forgiven their godawful Take On the World from the otherwise terrific Killing Machine and their appearance on weekly pop show Top of the Pops - the ultimate sell out in the UK. But Living after Midnight and especially United were a step too far for me, the cringe-worthy video for Breaking the Law didn't help either. With the NWOBHM exploding in full force at this time, Priest from that point on became merely peripheral in my metal world, although the earlier albums have remained some of my go-to classics and no amount of bullshit has ever changed that.

The cringe-worthy video for Breaking the Law didn't help either.

Yeah, they just had to put the best classic of the album in one of the most ridiculously awful metal music videos. That's why I purposely put up a different video when sharing that song in the Track of the Day thread.

While I quite like "Breaking The Law", I'd have to argue against it being labelled as "the best classic of the album". It's certainly the most popular song from an MTV point of view & enabled Judas Priest to finally crack the US market but that's mainly due to it's poppy hooks, simple arrangement & general accessibility which enabled it to crossover into commercial radio. The guitar melody at the start sounds like it could have been pulled straight off of Martha & the Muffins’ “Echo Beach” & it really does rely entirely on the chorus hook to draw the audience in (which it obviously does very well). I guess the point I'm making is that it's not one of the real gems from "British Steel" for me personally. I'd place at least four tracks comfortably ahead of it. The outro is really exciting though & it goes off in a live environment. 

This track is such a disappointment given the undeniable strength of some of the other material on Savatage's "Edge Of Thorns" album.

This track is such a disappointment given the undeniable strength of some of the other material on Savatage's "Edge Of Thorns" album.

I agree that this isn't really the best song here, but the emotional vocals by Zak Stevens stand out with great lyrics and maintain the perfect 5-star rating I've given to the highly strong remainder of the album.

This is a prime example of why I struggle with German heavy/power metal outfit Running Wild.

RIP Motorhead and their fallen members. Though Saxon's poor tribute to that band shall rest in pieces:

"They Played Rock 'n' Roll" is certainly not one of the stronger tracks from the album but it's a long way from a stinker in my opinion. I actually quite like it.

This track just sounds like a big mess to me. The focus on rhythmic complexity has gotten wwaayyy out of control.

An essential metal ballad mandatory for all metalheads...NOT!!! This one is highly overrated! I don't care if it's the only Queensryche song they play on radio, if this is the only Queensryche song or metal song you enjoy, then you're not a fan of the band or the genre:

This one is cheesy as all fuck. Simply awful stuff!

Sorry guys but this is basically the anti-Daniel. How can I unhear this? I'll pay top dollar!

This one is cheesy as all fuck. Simply awful stuff!

This one is indeed kind of a cheesy ballad...

Sorry guys but this is basically the anti-Daniel. How can I unhear this? I'll pay top dollar!

...But this has Majestica's trademark speedy soloing and melodic riffing. You Guardians Grinch!! I understand our Guardians tastes are practically polar opposites, so I forgive you, Daniel. I've had barely any problem with most of this album, but other than the 5-minute outro, this cheesy ballad has made me cringe a bit:

UGH, this is another one of Helloween's singles that I end up hearing as embarrassing cheesy sh*t:

Someone call Thor and ask him to strike this man down with lightning or at least bless him with a much better voice:

When it comes to mixing metal with orchestra, some things just should not be:

As if the odd arrangement wasn't bad enough, this sh*t-dip should not exist:

That's a pretty solid power ballad right there Andi. I've always really enjoyed the chorus hook. Big-time KISS influence in my opinion.

What a waste of space this cheesy Country Rock bonus track is from Zakk Wylde-fronted Los Angeles Heavy Metal outfit Black Label Society's 2005 "Mafia" album.

Try this Southern Metal disaster on for size too. Simply awful stuff from three quarters of Pantera!