British Steel is the sixth studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in April 14, 1980 by Columbia Records. It is the first production with drummer Dave Holland, after joining the band in August 1979 to replace Les Binks.
For many critics it is the work that consecrated them in the world markets and that placed heavy metal in the musical panorama of the early eighties. It is also considered the recording that spearheaded the New Wave of British heavy metal during the first half of that year. In addition, over the years, it has been included in several lists of the best metal albums, an example of this is that in 2005 Kerrang! magazine ranked it 12th in its list of the 100 best British albums.
In 2001 it was remastered with two additional tracks; Red, White & Blue recorded during the Turbo sessions in 1985 and a live version of Grinder recorded in 1984 in Long Beach (California). In 2009, the band played a series of concerts to commemorate the first thirty years of their release, from which the CD and DVD British Steel – 30th Anniversary was recorded and released in 2010. In fact, this album as well as Rocka Rolla from 1974 and Defenders of the Faith from 1984, are their only productions that have been performed completely live.
After its release it has received positive reviews from the specialized critics. Steve Huey from Allmusic gave it five stars out of a possible five stating that: “it started the glory days of heavy metal in the 1980s”, he also mentioned that thanks to this album the band started their commercial success and consolidated them as icons of the genre.
Over the years it has been included in several lists of the best albums put together by magazines, websites and other publications, such as Terrorizer magazine’s 100 Greatest Albums of the Eighties; Classic Rock’s 200 Greatest Albums of the Eighties; The Guardian’s 1000 Albums You Should Listen to Till You Die; and Ultimate Classic Rock’s 100 Albums of the Eighties, among others.
Tracklist:
- Breaking The Law
- Rapid Fire
- Metal Gods
- Grinder
- United
- Living After Midnight
- You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise
- The Rage
- Steeler
Judas Priest:
Rob Halford: Lead Vocals
K. K. Downing: Lead Guitar
Glenn Tipton: Lead Guitar
Ian Hill: Bass
Dave Holland : Drums
Credits:
Tipton, Downing, Halford: Composition
Roslav Szaybo: Design
Lou Austin: Engineer
Arnakata Limited: Management
R. Ellis: Photography (Back Cover)
R. Elsdale: Photography (Front Cover)
Tom Allom: Producer
Tipton, Downing, Halford: Writting
Dave Holland (April 5, 1948 – January 16, 2018)
