Judas (Fozzy album)

Last updated

Judas
Judas fozzy.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 13, 2017
Genre Heavy metal, hard rock [1]
Length41:35
Label Century Media
Producer
Fozzy chronology
Do You Wanna Start a War
(2014)
Judas
(2017)
Boombox
(2022)
Singles from Judas
  1. "Judas"
    Released: May 5, 2017
  2. "Drinkin' with Jesus"
    Released: September 15, 2017
  3. "Painless"
    Released: September 29, 2017
  4. "Burn Me Out"
    Released: July 21, 2018
30 second sample of the song "Judas".

Judas is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Fozzy, released on October 13, 2017, through Century Media Records. [2] The album's title track was released as the lead single [3] from the album on May 5, 2017. [4] Ahead of the album release, two additional songs were made available on streaming services: "Drinkin' with Jesus" on September 15, 2017, and "Painless" on September 29, 2017.

Contents

The lead single was a minor radio hit, spending 26 weeks on the Mainstream Rock chart and peaking at No. 5. [5] The song also hit No. 1 on the Sirius/XM Octane charts [6] and was certified gold by the RIAA in 2022. [7] "Judas" was the official theme song for NXT TakeOver: Chicago and lead singer Chris Jericho uses the song as his entrance theme for his appearances in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling. [8] "Painless" was the official theme song for NXT TakeOver: Chicago II the following year. [9]

Background

In a 2017 interview with Blabbermouth.net Chris Jericho stated

“We spent the last two years on this. We really wanted it to be a record that had not just two singles, but three singles, where every song could be a single, like the classic records like [GUNS N' ROSES'] 'Appetite For Destruction' or [DEF LEPPARD's] 'Hysteria' or INXS 'Kick', where it's just single after single after single on the record. You never knew how many great songs there were on it. That's what we wanted to do. We just wanted to focus on songs and not worry about whether it has a guitar solo or wussy strings. After two years of a lot of work and reconfiguring the songs and working on them over and over, we achieved that." [10]

Critical reception

Loudwire gave the album a favorable review stating “Judas is their most polished and fully realized album, and should be their most successful, as well.” [11] The Moshville times gave the record a positive review stating “It’s an album which starts off good and with every listen gets better. In Judas, Fozzy have made their best album to date, taking everything which makes them and dials it up to the proverbial eleven. With a less cohesive sound than previous albums, they’ve tinkered with it in places, adding in playful new elements and for the most part it works. More important than that, it’s still recognisably Fozzy.” [12] The Angry Metal Guy gave the album a more negative review giving it a 2.5/5 stating “Drinkin with Jesus” and “Weight of my World” are decent pieces. But the rest of the songs are pretty forgettable. The final three songs, in particular, seem to continue to fall away until I finally look up and realize the album is over.” [13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Rich Ward and Johnny Andrews, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Judas"Ward, Andrews, Justin Cordle 4:10
2."Drinkin' with Jesus" 3:56
3."Painless" 3:59
4."Weight of My World" 3:19
5."Wordsworth Way"Ward, Chris Jericho, Andrews4:47
6."Burn Me Out" 4:03
7."Three Days in Jail" (featuring Hyro the Hero)Ward, Andrews, Jericho, Hyro Da Hero 4:16
8."Elevator"Ward, Andrews, Matt Walst, Simon Olds2:50
9."Running with the Bulls"Ward, Andrews, Jericho3:51
10."Capsized" 4:16
11."Wolves at Bay" 3:09
Total length:41:35

Personnel

Fozzy

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak

positon

Scottish Albums (OCC) [14] 79
UK Rock and Metal (OCC) [14] 13
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [14] 72
US Billboard 200 [15] 147
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [15] 30
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [15] 7
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [15] 9

References

  1. "Judas - FOZZY". October 28, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  2. "'Judas' by Fozzy on iTunes". iTunes . Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  3. "Fozzy's Chris Jericho Talks Success of New Single 'Judas'". Loudwire. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  4. "Fozzy On Judas". PodcastOne: Talk is Jericho. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  5. "Fozzy Judas Chart History". Billboard . Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  6. "What major milestone did Chris Jericho just hit?" . Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  7. "American certifications – Fozzy". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  8. "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 results, recap, grades: Jericho impresses, Okada reigns" . Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  9. FOZZY [@FOZZYROCK] (May 31, 2018). "In case you missed it... "Painless" is a #NXTLOUD theme song for #NXTTakeover: Chicago, along with "Uncomfortable" by @Halestorm! Special thanks to @WWE! #WeAreNXT https://t.co/1b9TiOW6MG" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021 via Twitter.
  10. Blabbermouth (October 28, 2017). "CHRIS JERICHO: 'If METALLICA And JOURNEY Had A Bastard Child, It Would Be FOZZY'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  11. "Fozzy, 'Judas' - Album Review". Loudwire. October 13, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  12. "The Moshville Times - Review: Fozzy – Judas". The Moshville Times. October 13, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  13. Grier, Dr A. N. (October 17, 2017). "Fozzy - Judas Review". Angry Metal Guy. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 "FOZZY". Official Charts. May 18, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Fozzy Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2025.