Redeemer of Souls

Redeemer of Souls is a comeback record on which Judas Priest powerfully sounds the classic heavy-metal idiom in a dignified present tense. After the departure of the longtime K.K. Downing, the young guitarist Richie Faulkner joined, and his fresh talent breathes new vitality into the veteran band. Sharp riffs, a dignified vocal and choruses shouting the title move straight forward while carrying the band’s long history. From the powerful drive of the opener “Dragonaut” and the speed of the title track “Redeemer of Souls” to the grandeur of “Halls of Valhalla,” themed on Norse myth, and the dramatic “Sword of Damocles,” every song is full of metal’s stylistic beauty. Deftly moving between weighty numbers and dashing songs, an unwavering Judas Priest feel breathes in every scene. Its significance lies in showing head-on the unwavering strength it does best, rather than chasing novelty. Through Faulkner’s arrival, the bite of the twin guitars fully revives. After the previous grand experiment, powerfully returning to straight-ahead metal, its origin, it is a fulfilling record.