30 years...that's a long time ago, and even longer when I think back to my 19 year old college metalhead self, thrilling to the sounds of Judas Priest's then new album Defenders of the Faith in 1984. Seems like an eternity ago, but then again, they always say time flies when you are having fun. Now here we are in 2015, and this classic Priest album is once again being remastered and reissued by Columbia/Legacy, this time in deluxe fashion. Any true fan knows this album backwards and forwards, as it's full of classic tracks like "Freewheel Burning", "Jawbreaker", "The Sentinel", "Rock Hard Ride Free", "Love Bites", "Heavy Duty", "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll", and of course the title track. What, did I just mention almost the entire album? Yes, I certainly did, you see, Defenders of the Faith is one of those Priest records that has just gotten better with age. Back in the day, most fans debated endlessly whether it was better or worse than its predecessor Screaming for Vengeance...part of me now thinks Defenders wins that battle, but that's a discussion for another day.
So, with all that out of the way, why should you be considering purchasing this edition, when a pretty damn good remaster already came out around a decade ago? Well, for one, this 3CD set contains an ENTIRE concert recorded on the Defenders of the Faith tour in 84, from the Long Beach Arena in California (5/5/84). A whole show spread out over 2 CDs, containing not only a host of tracks from their new album, but also mandatory cuts such as "Grinder", "Metal Gods", "Breaking the Law", "Sinner", "Desert Plains", "Electric Eye", "Victim of Changes", and, well, you can probably guess the rest. The band is on fire throughout, and you have to wonder why this was never released as an official live album back in the day. Sound quality is great, the crowd is totally into it, and the band seem to be having a blast, Rob Halford especially giving a commanding performance and shrieking to the heavens.
Long story short, if it was just another remastered version of Defenders of the Faith I'd say give this a pass, but with this killer bonus live concert of the band at the height of their powers now included in the set, it quickly becomes a mandatory purchase.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
Disc: 1-original album remastered
1. Freewheel Burning
2. Jawbreaker
3. Rock Hard Ride Free
4. The Sentinel
5. Love Bites
6. Eat Me Alive
7. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
8. Night Comes Down
9. Heavy Duty
10. Defenders of the Faith
Disc: 2-Live at Long Beach, CA 5/5/84
1. Love Bites
2. Jawbreaker
3. Grinder
4. Metal Gods
5. Breaking the Law
6. Sinner
7. Desert Plains
8. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
9. The Sentinel
10. Rock Hard Ride Free
Disc: 3-Live at Long Beach, CA 5/5/84
1. Night Comes Down
2. The Hellion
3. Electric Eye
4. Heavy Duty
5. Defenders of the Faith
6. Freewheel Burning
7. Victim of Changes
8. The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)
9. Living After Midnight
10. Hell Bent For Leather
11. You ve Got Another Thing Coming
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