Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Arguably the best sophomore album ever made, Sad Wings of Destiny was a bolt from the blue. After the average Rocka Rolla some two years earlier, Rob Halford and co came out in 1976 with one of the finest records to ever grace their discography. They had undergone a slight line up change since the debut with Alan Moore now residing in the drummer's seat having replaced John Hinch. Like Hinch, Moore was only to last one album in the role before the band went with a session drummer for the follow up Sin After Sin.
Almost from the off though it is clear that the stars of the show here were the guitars and vocals. This album really explored the range of both the guitarists and the vocal chords of Rob Halford. Both worked the stage well together, giving each other space to expand their prowess yet also complimenting each other brilliantly. The opening track Victim of Changes is a real paired back affair in terms of pace and has a real storytelling feel to it. Clocking in at nearly eight minutes, it is a bold and epic foray into showcasing some real songwriting prowess (with Al Atkins credited with having contributed it). The album takes more of an aggressive tone with the menacing The Ripper with Halford adding that threatening undertone to his vocals to emphasise the terror of the famed murderer.
Dream Deceiver again goes for a more slower tempo to build the track, focusing on the story as opposed to going for the short, sharp shock. It is arranged brilliantly to contrast the shorter track that precedes it. It builds to a slick and sultry blues-tinged solo to play the song out, the kind of solo where you can hear the whole fret board being used to tell the story just as well as any lyric could. The track bleeds effortlessly to the more upbeat Deceiver to complete another juxtaposed transition from the epic to the more immediate. Again, the band use the build of the track superbly, progressing up to a real gallop pace before ending with a flurry of acoustic strummings.
Side B opens with an instrumental as Prelude prepares us for what I have to confess to be the weaker of the two sides overall but you'd have no indication of this as it fills your ears with the promise of more tales to be told and more musical entertainment to accompany these stories. Tyrant is the first track proper of the second side of the vinyl and it is a bit of a lazy effort in my book. Whether trying to sound fearsome or not the delivery of the chorus sounds tired as opposed to threatening and the whole track feels a bit washy as a result. Halford's vocals are layered for part of this track and it does work reasonably well but overall this the only really underwhelming track on the album.
The more structured Genocide puts things back on track with a more appealing beat and a memorable vocal that sticks in your head for the right reason. The guitars fire licks across the lyrical passages perfectly and keep things interesting throughout. Even Halford's spoken word section comes off as relevant when on any other record it would seem a bit cringey I am sure. Penultimate track Epitaph is an almost cabaret sounding ballad that should stick out like a sore thumb but instead it comes across as a classy folky affair that probably should end the album in all honesty as it feels like a natural end to the album. The album finishes with Island of Domination which is another track that bleeds into form out of the previous one. Cleverly picking up the pace to end on a positive and more uptempo track, giving the listener a final taste of those guitars and sublime vocal range to savour for long after the record is finished.