Thanks to Man in Silence for the review contribution.

(Review from allmusic, metal-archives.com, wikipedia)

“Painkiller” marked the debut of current drummer Scott Travis. Judas Priest dropped the 80s-style synths (except one track), returned to their classic 70s style, while borrowing contemporary speed metal techniques, resulting in their most critically acclaimed album in a decade. The album is viewed by some as the quintessential speed metal album and the style proved highly influential to European power metal bands such as Gamma Ray and Primal Fear.

The band’s performance of this album is incredible. Rob Halford’s singing is very diverse, ranging from high pitched screams (Painkiller or All Guns Blazing) to a mix of slightly high but more noticeably low pitched singing (Between the Hammer and the Anvil or Leather Rebel). K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton go crazy with their solos on the album, and often are not satisfied with just one. Ian Hill’s bass follows the guitars to create the perfect sound for the album. Scott Travis proves to be an amazing drummer on his debut here, most noticeably on the title track.

Songs like the title track, “Leather Rebel” and “Metal Meltdown” thrash like mad; Halford’s shrieking and growling is positively frightening, as he uses his incredible vocal range to an almost King Diamond-like effect. But it isn’t just the rediscovered power that makes “Painkiller” a great musical effort: the elegant “A Touch of Evil”, for example, is reminiscent of the progressive, intricately arranged pieces of their ’70s work. Seasoned keyboardist, Don Airey provided the beautiful keyboards on it, which greatly added to the atmosphere of the song.

Following the tour for this album, singer Rob Halford left the band and maintained little contact with his former bandmates throughout the 1990s. Judas Priest declared that they did not exist anymore after Halford had left.

Line-up:
- Rob Halford / Vocals
- K.K. Downing / Guitar
- Glenn Tipton / Guitar
- Ian Hill / Bass
- Scott Travis / Drums

Track List:
01. Painkiller – 6:06
02. Hell Patrol – 3:36
03. All Guns Blazing – 3:57
04. Leather Rebel – 3:35
05. Metal Meltdown – 4:48
06. Night Crawler – 5:45
07. Between The Hammer & The Anvil – 4:48
08. A Touch Of Evil – 5:45
09. Battle Hymn – 0:56
10. One Shot At Glory – 6:47

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