After toying around with the keyboard drenched glam of 'Turbo' and then the entertaining but ultimately directionless 'Ram it Down', 'Judas Priest' returned with this, one of the most crunching renditions of compelling Metal ever to be put down on CD. One of the main difference here is the introduction of 'Scott Travis' after the departure of 'Dave Holland', his thundering drum work drives almost every track and he lays down crunching beat upon pummelling rhythm for 'Priests' interpretation of pure 'Power Metal' bliss. So any down sides to this album?, some argue the lyrics are a bit cliché and predictable especially for the time, but who care when 'Halford's' screaming 'The Hell Patrol' or 'Between the Hammer and the Anvil' with the sort of power that brings plaster off the walls.

The title track launches this lesson in true Metal off in spectacular fashion, never before have 'Priest' conjured up such power and aggression as witnessed here, and it all comes together on the scorching 'Painkiller'. 'Glen Tipton' and 'K. K Downing's' guitar work is quite simply superb throughout, combine this with 'Scott Travis's' and 'Ian Hill' scorching rhythm work and 'Rob Halford' screeching with ungodly power and you have a modern classic. There's no let-up though as the overlooked gem 'Hell Patrol' assaults your speakers, lyrically it's no masterpiece but the delivery is of such power and conviction it's hard not to be impressed, as with all the tracks present the punishing drumming is a complete joy to be heard. More ear shattering Metal takes the shape of 'All Guns Blazing', a thumping pedal to the metal rocket ride, that boast a heavy chorus and brilliant soloing courtesy of both guitarist. Wow! checkout the intro to 'Leather Rebel', true genius, the rest of the track follows in similar fashion as the majestic rhythm acts as a mainstay for this bristling anthem. The pace doesn't let up for a second as the brutal 'Metal Meltdown' pummels your ear drums, this track owes more to Thrash with its pulverising rhythm work and make for high octane rollercoaster ride, 'Rob Halford' screaming 'Metal Meltdown' towards the end has to heard to be believed. Less hell-bent but equally enjoyable is 'Night Crawler' a nasty atmospheric brooder, full of great lyrics that feature a splendid doom laden spoken section that's sure to sends shivers down your back, musically its a treat with fine riffing and superb solos. Another overlooked jewel follows, 'Between the Hammer and the Anvil' is a faster tempo hard rocker, with a hearty chorus that 'Rob Halford' does sterling work on. Next up is the epic 'touch of Evil', very similar in approach to 'Night Crawler', with its bleak perspective, but still manages to be captivating with its solid lyrics and fascinating guitar work. 'Battle Hymn' is a short instrumental that breaks the album up nicely for the final onslaught of 'One Shot at Glory'. The closing track lives up to the rest of the album with its sublime fret work and thunderous drumming, but if I had one criticism it would be 'Rob Halford's' vocals do sound too high pitched at times.

Bonus tracks on the re-masters include 'Living Bad Dreams' which is a strong slower number, but if it had made album status it would have been the weakest track present, this however is only testament to the strength of this release. The live version of 'Leather Rebel' is a crunching rendition.

Regrettably this would be the last 'Priest' album to feature 'Rob Halford', who left shortly after the tour and allegedly on less than amicable terms. This also marked the beginning of a seven year hiatus, and fans had to wait until 97' for the 'Ripper Owens' fronted 'Jugulator'.