Angel of Retribution
| Angel of Retribution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Judas Priest | ||||
| Released | 23 February 2005 (Japan) 1 March 2005 (Worldwide) |
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| Recorded | October–December 2004, Old Smithy, Worcestershire, England and Sound City, California | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 52:37 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Roy Z & Judas Priest | |||
| Judas Priest chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Blabbermouth | 8/10 |
| Kerrang | |
| Rolling Stone |  |
| Rock Hard (de) | 9/10 |
Angel of Retribution is the fifteenth studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in 2005. It is the band's first album since Painkiller (1990) to feature Rob Halford. The album debuted at #13 on the US Billboard chart, which made it the third highest chart of a Judas Priest album (the second being Nostradamus and the highest being Redeemer of Souls). The album was produced by Roy Z, who co-wrote the song "Deal with the Devil".
Within the album, nods to the sound of past albums and songs are found, as well as lyrics that apparently reference earlier songs. The song "Demonizer" references both "The Hellion" from Screaming for Vengeance, as well as "Painkiller" from Painkiller. "Hellrider" mentions the title track of Ram It Down, and "Tyrant" from Sad Wings of Destiny. "Eulogy" references "Stained Class" and "The Sentinel" from the albums Stained Class and Defenders of the Faith, respectively. Finally, "Worth Fighting For" acts as a sequel/prequel to "Desert Plains" from Point of Entry.
The song "Deal With the Devil" can be viewed as an autobiography of Judas Priest, telling their origins from the Black Country of England's West Midlands, mentioning their transitory days gigging around England and practising at the Church of Holy Joseph in Walsall, which is where Judas Priest was effectively born. "Deal With the Devil" also mentions the song "Blood Red Skies" from Ram It Down, "Take on the World" from Killing Machine, as well as "Beyond the Realms of Death" from Stained Class.
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Wikipedia