The long awaited comeback album is finally here and it's pretty much business as usual for the newly reunited 'Priest'. There's bound to be those moaning that this isn't 'Painkiller' Part II, but in reality they were never going to try to recreate that album, what they have successfully done however, is to write a varied album which reflects upon the entire career of the band. There's elements from the glory days of the late 70's / early 80's, the first couple of albums are even reflected upon by the song 'Eulogy' and those trying to relive the 'Painkiller' days will be pleased with the couple of rippers presents. The guitar work from 'Glen Tipton' and 'K. K. Downing' is thankfully back to the traditional sound we all love, with trademark duelling present on many tracks. In fact the only nark I have with 'Angel of Retribution' is the final epic track 'Lochness', but more about that later.

The new era of 'Priest' commences with the suitably titled 'Judas Rising', a great track which opens with a building atmospheric intro, that in turn leads into a powerful rhythm driven rocker, while 'Halford's' long awaited vocals immediately make an impact for this strong opener. The next cut is even better and if ever a song had the classic 'Priest' sound 'Deal with the Devil' is it, a superb brisk paced rocker, sporting decent lyrics reminiscent of 'Halford's' 'Made in Hell', memorable duelling guitars and the usual thunderous rhythm work from 'Ian Hill' and 'Scott Travis'- a new classic!. The following track 'Revolution' was chosen for single release before the album and did receive some criticism, personally I think it's a decent song and while not one of the best present, this pulsating, chorus heavy number is still pretty catchy. Next up is 'Worth Fighting For' which brings back memories of 'Priest's' early 80's albums and is best described as a passionately executed mid tempo rocker, the guitaring is classy and graced by emotional 'Halford' vocals. The tempo is lifted for the heavy hitting 'Demonizer' and although slightly reminiscent of tracks from 'Jugulator', this is a lot more refined, with guitaring that's more along 'Priest's' traditional style. Even better is the simplistic but thoroughly superb 'Wheels of Fire', a pulsating gem that could have graced any of 'Priest's' classic albums, lyrically basic but catchy as hell- checkout that guitaring!. The pace is slowed for the ballad 'Angel' and while a slight departure from what you expect, an impressive, emotionally sung piece, further braced by a subtle acoustic melody. It's back to the Power Metal of 'Painkiller' with the menacing ripper 'Hellrider', a track graced with a stunning instrumental break, which highlights glorious 'Tipton' and 'Downing' guitars. The tempo falls for the early 'Priest' sounding 'Eulogy', a subtle piano and vocal driven piece, that's reflectively written and thoughtfully performed, but that said I'm not totally convinced it fits in with the other material particularly well. The final track is the 13 minute epic 'Lochness' and in all honesty is about 10 minutes too long, this chugger really drags in my opinion and while there's some nice bits along the way, the lyrics need a lot to be desired- Leave the epics to 'Maiden'.

'Angel of Retribution' is leaps and bounds better than 'Jugulator' and 'Demolition' and marks a welcome return for 'Rob Halford'. I only wish the track 'Lochness' had been replaced by two quality rockers and this would have been another classic, but as it stands it's still a superb comeback.