Great Metal Albums of 1978: Judas Priest- Killing Machine

This album was released in the US under the title of "Hell Bent for Leather" because the American branch of the record company did not like the murderous implications in the title. Strange, because when I was in the marines, I was referred to being just that. Maybe we should have seen that as things to come for the 80s when metal was under constant bombardment from religious freaks in the USA. Anyway, we could go back and forth for days over the title of "Killing Machine" by the great Judas Priest, but it would deflect from the great album that it is.
"Killing Machine" was the first album that constituted a shift to more commercial sounding music, although this album still has the power Judas Priest is known for as well as the dark lyrical themes from the earlier albums. Two songs from this album appear on the "Greatest Hits" album, "The Green Manalishi With the Two Pronged Crown" and my all time favourite Priest song from the seventies, "Take On the W0rld." "Hell Bent for Leather" is also a real kick ass tune an there are quite a few other great songs as well.

Track Listing:

1. Delivering the Goods

2. Rock Forever

3. Evening Star

4. Hell Bent for Leather

5. Take on the World

6. Burnin' Up

7. The Green Manalishi With the Two Pronged Crown

8. Killing Machine

9. Running Wild

10. Before the Dawn

11. Evil Fantasies

Judas Priest

Rob Halford- vocals

Glen Tipton- guitars

KK Downing- guitars

Ian Hill- bass

Les Binks- drums

"Killing Machine" or "Hell Bent for Leather" would be the last album from Judas Priest in the seventies and the last one before the great "British Steel." That was the album that got me into them, but I wish I had this album on hand back in 1978, I would have loved the rock out which it still is today.

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