Screaming for Vengeance | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1 July 1982 [1] | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Heavy metal [2] | |||
Length | 38:43 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Tom Allom | |||
Judas Priest chronology | ||||
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Singles from Screaming for Vengeance | ||||
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Screaming for Vengeance is the eighth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 1 July 1982 by Columbia Records. Considered the band's commercial breakthrough in North America, it has been certified double platinum in the United States and platinum in Canada. Screaming for Vengeance spawned the hit "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", which became one of the band's signature songs and a perennial radio favourite.
Screaming for Vengeance was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza, Spain (during this period, it was common for UK-based musicians to record in continental Europe for tax purposes). Mixing and overdubs were done at Beejay Recording Studios in Orlando, Florida and Bayshore Recording Studios in Coconut Grove, Florida.
It showcased a harder, heavier sound than British Steel and saw the band revert back into straight heavy rock after the melodically styled Point of Entry . The album also marks the first time a drummer played on more than two Judas Priest albums, with Dave Holland having also played on British Steel and Point of Entry.
The album's most commercially successful track, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", was a last-minute addition. According to guitarist K. K. Downing, "We were quite happy with the album, but decided late on that we could add one more song. I know we had some of the parts, but we set about completing "Another Thing Comin'" during the mixing sessions at Bee Jay studios. It came together quite quickly, and I seem to remember that we all had a good feeling about it, as it did sound like a good driving song and possibly a good radio track." [4] Rob Halford expressed surprise at the song's success, saying "that track was buried. Normally the tracks you think are going to do stuff are at the front end of the release. But our friends at Sony said, 'We're going to go for this song.' And we didn't really know what was going on. But then the feedback was coming over: 'Hey, the record's buzzing in this town and that town', and it just took off." [5]
Screaming for Vengeance was released in July 1982, with a remastered CD released in May 2001. "Fight for Your Life", recorded during the Screaming for Vengeance sessions [ citation needed ], was left off but subsequently reworked as the song "Rock Hard Ride Free" on the next album, Defenders of the Faith . The original version saw the light of day as a bonus track on the 2001 remastered version of 1978's Killing Machine . As of the album's 30th anniversary in 2012, it remains the top-selling release of Judas Priest's career. [4] To celebrate the album's 30th anniversary, a remastered CD with bonus 1982 live tracks and a bonus DVD of the band's performance from the 1983 US Festival were released. The most recent remaster was released in late 2017 as part of the Sony We Are Vinyl series, on vinyl and digital download only.
The World Vengeance Tour began shortly after the album's release in July 1982 and focused on North America during the summer and fall, Priest not performing in Europe until December 1983. This emphasis on US audiences was in order to establish a solid commercial foothold there, and in particular because "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" became a major hit. That and "Electric Eye" became live setlist staples and some of the band's most performed songs. "Devil's Child" has also been performed on various tours between 1982 and 2008, and "Riding on the Wind", "Bloodstone" and the title track have also been in the setlist on various tours. For comparison, "Fever" was only played at the first two 1982 shows, "(Take These) Chains" only appeared in the setlist in 2019, while "Pain and Pleasure" and the instrumental "The Hellion" have never been performed live (though a recording of the song is frequently played before performances of "Electric Eye"). [6] The 30th-anniversary release of the album in 2012 came with a DVD of a live show recorded in May 1983 at the US Festival in California on the last date of the Screaming For Vengeance Tour. During the US tour to support the album in 1982, Judas Priest were supported by bands such as Iron Maiden, Krokus, and Uriah Heep.[ citation needed ]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Blogcritics | (favourable) (30th Ann.) [7] |
Decibel | (mixed) [8] |
Metal Storm | 10/10 [9] |
PopMatters | 7/10 (30th Ann.) [10] |
Martin Popoff | 9/10 [11] |
Sounds | [12] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5 [13] |
Terrorizer | 5/5 (30th Ann.) [14] |
While 1980's British Steel has been referred to as the band's masterpiece, [15] Screaming for Vengeance was Judas Priest's breakthrough in North America. Although the band had achieved a cult following among American audiences by 1979 and could headline their own tours, they sold "relatively few" records there before Screaming for Vengeance. It was also extremely successful worldwide.
Screaming for Vengeance reached No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 17 on the US Billboard 200 Pop Albums. It was certified gold by the RIAA on 29 October 1982, platinum on 18 April 1983, and 2× platinum on 16 October 2001, [16] being the band's first album to achieve the two latter awards.
The album ranked 15th on IGN's 25 most influential metal albums. Screaming for Vengeance also came 10th on Metal-Rules.com's 100 greatest metal albums. Kerrang! listed the album at No. 46 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". In 2017, it was ranked 12th on Rolling Stone 's list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". [17] In 2022, Screaming for Vengeance was named #2 of 'The 25 greatest rock guitar albums of 1982' list in Guitar World. [18]
"You've Got Another Thing Comin'" is featured as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero . "Electric Eye" (with the accompanying intro track "The Hellion") was playable in Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Guitar Hero Smash Hits . The entire album was the first album released as downloadable content for the video games Rock Band and Rock Band 2 . [19]
The title song "Screaming for Vengeance" was played on the main site for the video game Brütal Legend . [20] In the game, Rob Halford voices a villain named General Lionwhyte, as well as a heroic character called the Fire Baron, modeled after his likeness. The track "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" was featured in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as part of the V-Rock radio station, whilst "Electric Eye" was featured on the same radio station in the 2006 prequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories . The song "Riding on the Wind" was featured in the 2012 video game Twisted Metal .
As well as "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" featuring in the eleventh season's first episode, Archer continues the running gag of Dr. Krieger's vans with "Screaming for Van-geance" featuring in the episode "Helping Hands".
The bonus track "Prisoner of Your Eyes" was featured in the 2024 slasher movie MaXXXine.
All tracks are written by Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford and K. K. Downing, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "The Hellion" | 0:41 | |
2. | "Electric Eye" | 3:39 | |
3. | "Riding on the Wind" | 3:07 | |
4. | "Bloodstone" | 3:51 | |
5. | "(Take These) Chains" | Bob Halligan, Jr. | 3:07 |
6. | "Pain and Pleasure" | 4:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Screaming for Vengeance" | 4:43 |
2. | "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" | 5:09 |
3. | "Fever" | 5:20 |
4. | "Devil's Child" | 4:48 |
Total length: | 38:43 |
No. | Title | Length |
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11. | "Prisoner of Your Eyes" (recorded during the 1985 Turbo sessions) | 7:12 |
12. | "Devil's Child" (live at Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee; 12 December 1982) | 5:02 |
Total length: | 50:57 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Electric Eye" (live at San Antonio Civic Center, San Antonio, 10 September 1982) | 4:25 |
12. | "Riding on the Wind" (live at San Antonio Civic Center, San Antonio, 10 September 1982) | 3:10 |
13. | "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" (live at San Antonio Civic Center, San Antonio, 10 September 1982) | 7:18 |
14. | "Screaming for Vengeance" (live at San Antonio Civic Center, San Antonio, 10 September 1982) | 4:45 |
15. | "Devil's Child" (live at Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee; 12 December 1982) | 5:02 |
16. | "Prisoner of Your Eyes" (recorded during the 1985 Turbo sessions) | 7:12 |
Total length: | 70:35 |
All tracks are written by Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford and K. K. Downing, except where noted. All tracks were filmed and recorded at the second US Festival, Devore, San Bernardino, California, 29 May 1983. One track from the set was cut because of audio problems with the source material.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Electric Eye" | ||
2. | "Riding on the Wind" | ||
3. | "Heading Out to the Highway" | ||
4. | "Metal Gods" | ||
5. | "Breaking the Law" | ||
6. | "Diamonds and Rust" (Joan Baez cover) | Joan Baez | |
7. | "Victim of Changes" | Al Atkins, Tipton, Halford, Downing | |
8. | "Living After Midnight" | ||
9. | "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" (Fleetwood Mac cover) | Peter Green | |
10. | "Screaming for Vengeance" | ||
11. | "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" | ||
12. | "Hell Bent for Leather" |
Chart (1982–1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [22] | 81 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [23] | 17 |
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [24] | 17 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [25] | 23 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [26] | 72 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [27] | 26 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [28] | 14 |
UK Albums (OCC) [29] | 11 |
US Billboard 200 [30] | 17 |
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [31] | 173 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [32] | 139 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [33] | 99 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [34] | 84 |
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [35] | 6 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [36] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [37] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, and are cited as a formative influence on various heavy metal subgenres, including speed metal, thrash metal, power metal, and the hard rock/glam metal scene of the 1980s. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band had struggled with poor record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when their sixth studio album British Steel brought them notable mainstream attention.
Defenders of the Faith is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 13 January 1984 in the US and on 20 January 1984 in the UK. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA, and spawned the singles "Freewheel Burning", "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll", and "Love Bites".
Robert John Arthur Halford is an English heavy metal singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has been noted for his powerful and wide ranging operatic vocal style and trademark leather-and-studs image, both of which have become iconic in heavy metal. He has also been involved with several side projects, including Fight, Two, and Halford.
Glenn Raymond Tipton is an English guitarist. Often noted for his complex playing style and classically influenced solos, he is best known as one of the lead guitarists for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is the second longest-serving member of the band, after bassist and co-founder Ian Hill. Tipton and Hill are the only two members of the band who have appeared on every studio album.
Turbo is the tenth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in the UK on 7 April 1986 by Columbia Records. The album is notable for the band's change to a commercial glam metal sound, that had them using synthesizers for the first time.
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"Freewheel Burning" is a song by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, appearing on their 1984 album Defenders of the Faith, and released as the first single off that album. The 12" version of the single contained an extended guitar intro that was omitted on the full-length release.
British Steel is the sixth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 11 April 1980 by Columbia Records. It was the band's first album to feature Dave Holland on drums.
Metalogy is a four CD + single DVD boxed set released by heavy metal band Judas Priest in 2004. The CDs come in card sleeves and are housed in a faux-leather box, which has studs around the center. The box was re-released in 2008 in a cardboard long-box containing the same 4 CDs as the original release, but not the DVD, which is sold separately. It was re-released for a second time in September 2013 as a hardback mediabook, again without the DVD.
"Breaking the Law" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is readily recognised by its opening guitar riff.
"You've Got Another Thing Comin'" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was originally released on their 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance and released as a single later that year. In May 2006, VH1 ranked it fifth on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs. It became one of Judas Priest's signature songs along with "Electric Eye" and "Breaking the Law", and a staple of the band's live performances. "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" was first performed on the opening concert of the Vengeance World Tour at the Stabler Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on 26 August 1982 and had been played a total of 673 times through the 2012 Epitaph Tour.
Live Insurrection is a live album by the band Halford, released in Japan on March 28, 2001, and released worldwide in April 2001 with one less track. The flag that Rob Halford is kissing on the cover of the album is the Flag of Chile.
"Electric Eye" is the second song on English heavy metal band Judas Priest’s 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance. It has become a staple at concerts, usually played as the first song. AllMusic critic Steve Huey called the song a classic.
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The Complete Albums Collection is a compilation box set album collection by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 12 June 2012 by Legacy Recordings. The Complete Albums Collection contains 17 Judas Priest albums,.
The Fuel for Life Tour was a 1986 concert tour by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, to support their album Turbo.
The World Vengeance Tour was a 1982 concert tour by English heavy metal band Judas Priest where they toured throughout North America from 26 August 1982 until 21 February 1983 in support of the 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance.
The Metal Conqueror Tour was a concert tour by English heavy metal band Judas Priest in support of the album Defenders of the Faith. It ran from 20 January until 13 September 1984.
Firepower is the eighteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest. Released in 2018, it was the band's first studio album since 1988's Ram It Down to be produced by Tom Allom and the first one with Andy Sneap as co-producer. The album sold around 49,000 copies in the United States within its first week of release, debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the band's highest-charting album in the US. The album also reached No. 5 in the UK, making it their first top-ten album in the UK since British Steel. Music videos were made for "Lightning Strike", "Spectre" and "No Surrender". A lyric video was made for "Never the Heroes". The record also produced three singles.