Review by Adam M on July 26, 2025.

This is an entertaining older Priest album that has the right formula for being interesting with a great deal of emphasis on the classic type of style the band is going for.  There are many classic songs like 'Sinner' and 'Dissident Aggressor' to be found and it leads to an entertaining overall experience. There is a classic feel that permeates every note of the album.

The musicianship is quite stellar with an old school guitar tone and an emphasis on performing as adequately as possible. Halford's vocal performance is as strong as ever and a high point as usual and makes this an interesting to listen to album through and through. It is not as musically compelling as Stained Class, but still fairly interesting.

In terms of flaws, the album is not as fun as some of their other early stuff and loses a couple of notches in the seventies lineup compared to Stained Class and Sad Wings of Destiny. It is a straightforward album and not as metallically interesting as Screaming for Vengeance or Defenders of the Faith either.

All in all, this was a superb effort, that is one of the band’s strongest efforts and comes highly recommended. It is underrated and often overlooked, but a good measure of their early style at the time. Definitely check this out.

Rating: 7.8/10