Stained Class. Judas Priest's fourth studio album and first one to feature the talented drumming of Les Binks. In the first years of the band's career, they were searching for the right sound that could set them apart from other heavy metal bands of the 70s. This was especially apparent on their first album Rocka Rolla(1974) and Sad Wings Of Destiny(1976). Although both albums were a commercial flop at the time, the latter album produced many great songs that gained them a steadily increasing fanbase. Priest was financially poor and were ready to quit for good when in no time, CBS(Columbia) Records offered them a name-promoting contract deal to leave Gull Records and record with them for many years. So they happily obliged and recorded their third album Sin After Sin(1977) which gained an American interest for the first time. Although a good album, it still showed signs that the band were trying different things in order to find a fix.

Judas Priest finally made up their minds and decided to go with a full-blown heavy metal style, enhanced further by bringing leather and studs into the formula. With heavier guitars and a new drummer, they released Stained Class(1978) an enhanced followup bearing the same style as Sad Wings. It's a dark album similar to the later released Defenders Of The Faith(1984) but in a 70s metal vein.

Any true Priest fan knows this album's two monster hit numbers, Exciter and Beyond The Realms Of Death. Both songs display a level of complexity not found in most any song that Priest has ever made since then. Exciter showcases Rob's high vocals and speedy riffs, unknown to metal music at the time. BTROD is more of a slower tune which emphasizes a powerful vocal performance and complex guitar arrangements. Those two songs aside, there are still great rockers spread throughout the disc. White Heat Red Hot and Invader are fast moving tracks that often get overlooked by fans. Also, Stained Class has to be the most underrated title track in Priest's discography. It has enough good guitar playing by Glenn and K.K. to label it as a classic. Then there's Better By You Better Than Me, a catchy cover song, and Hero's End, a midpaced song with a memorable midsection. Unfortunately, both of these songs ended up getting the band into trouble twelve years later, as they were brought up in a lawsuit about a couple of kids commiting suicide after listening to those songs. Savage is similar to Sin After Sin's Dissident Aggressor, but with a theme about Indians forced out of their homes by the white men. The only song I don't really like on here is Saints In Hell, which although it has a decent Black Sabbath-esque guitar section, is hindered by a lame chorus. Now even though the bonus track, Fire Burns Below doesn't belong here, it's still a very powerful unfinished track that should have replaced some of the bad songs off of Ram It Down(1988). The live version of BBYBTM is a decent live outtake, neither better nor worse than the original.

Stained Class ended up being the first high-selling Priest album, which would be topped with each succeeding one. After having their first headlining tour in Japan and Europe, Priest took their sound a step further with their next album, Killing Machine(1978)(also titled Hell Bent For Leather). Even though they shortened their songs and made them more commercial, it still retained the same raw heavy metal Priest fans were used to, so it ended up being a great success. All told, I recommend this album as one of the first ones to pick up, especially if you're interested in early Priest. It took me a while to warm up to Stained Class, but since then it has become one of my favorite albums. Others to check out besides this one are Sad Wings, Hell Bent, and British Steel. Then go for the others. Even if you already have Metal Works 73-93, you're still missing many of the band's great songs off of Stained Class. Five Stars for the album, excellent remastering quality, and extras. Now Judas Priest has begun to climb the stairs of success as the one and only Metal Gods. At the very least, this album is a great sign of things for the future to come.

After three records of rock experiments, Judas Priest found their sound with Stained Class. The music was considerably heavier than on previous albums, and was very heavy by the standards of 1978. The drumming, which had been a perennial weak point for the band, was improved tremendously with the addition of the talented Les Binks, who even cowrote Beyond the Realms of Death, arguably the record's best song. The weakest track here would be Savage, but not because there's anytihng wrong with it, it just fails to stand out in this collection of standouts. This is a truly great record and if you are a metal fan this is an essential...buy it as soon as you can.

To me, Stained Class may be the last of its kind. I love all Priest (At least with Halford), but I think that Stained Class was the last time that Priest were so serious (well Exciter isn't 100 percent serious), so dark, so epic and intense. Also, I think it is Priest's heaviest album before Painkiller (Especially for the time). There is not one song that is filler, there is not even one second on this album that is wasted. The jazzy, progressive influenced Les Binks (who departed one record and one live album after this) would be greatly missed and replaced by the far more pedestrian Dave Holland (though he was great on Priest...Live), also contributes riffs and ideas to one of the greatest epic ballads of all time, Beyond the Realms of Death.

We begin with Exciter, which like Painkiller after it, flaunts their new drummer's amazing double bass skills. I would defy anyone to find songs that were played this fast for this time (other than say, Motorhead or others, BUT then again maybe not) and also as intense. Congratulations Priest, you just invented speed metal!

White Heat, Red Hot is just as the title says, a 70's metal (beyond proto-metal at this point) firestorm of hot riffage, and vocal intensity.

Better By You, Better than Me is another classic, its a cover, but I sincerly think that Priest made it their own (in the same way that Led Zeppelin made their (uncredited) cover of Jake Holmes' Dazed and Confused their own).

Stained Class continues the onslaught of METAL intensity, and its just another example of Halford's progressively genius lyric writing. Halford's lyrics cut much deeper (in my opinion) back then, whether he was contemplating the meaning of life, doing some type of social commentary, or even discussing a mythological beast, he wrote about it all back then!

Invader is another classic, and Saints in Hell makes its doomier prescence known. Savage is lyrically similar to the later Iron Maiden song "Run to the Hills", and Beyond the Realms of Death and Heroes End end the album in intense precision.

To me, this is one of the essential metal albums. It defines "thinking man's metal" even before the term was invented (and before "heavy metal" itself was a widespread term), and is the forerunner to nearly every progressive, epic or power metal band that came later. Its all there, contained within these grooves, or now laser etchings.

Priest to me would get more and more mainstream after this release, and even though thats not bad, I still think this had more of an impact in the history of metal than some of the later albums.

Pretty much all the songs are heavy and somewhat fast on this album (other than the ballad) and it doesn't let up. Its almost like Priest's version of Deep Purple's In Rock, or their Master of Reality.

In 1978 when disco and punk were unescapable and doom metal was declining Judas Priest were unknowingly raising the bar to unseen levels. This is the third of the famous trilogy of Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, and Stained Class. This album was not a chart monster or a grammy winner, so why do people listen to it today? Because nothing else matched its power or intensity back then, it was and is true metal done the right way. This was the only thing that matched the heyday of Black Sabbath.

1. Exciter 10/10 the best introduction to a Priest album, just perfect from the drum intro to the solo to the dual harmony, just perfect.

2. White Heat, Red Hot 10/10 equally as awesome as exciter Halford is one of a kind and the solo is amazing.

3. Better By You Better Than Me 9/10 a cover, more rock than metal but still it's great song.

4. Stained Class 10/10 the title track, highly underrated this is speed metal Halford shows why he is a metal god and the solo is in human.

5. Invader 10/10 an intro that is out of this world, while it is not as good as the previous song it is still good, very strong.

6. Saints in Hell 6/10 I don't understand the fascination with this song, it doesn't have a solo, the lyrics are at some places very cheesey and it is too long. this is overrated.

7. Savage 8/10 a great song a great message

8. Beyond the Realms of Death 20/10 The best Priest song ever, and the best metal ballad ever. Halford shows why he is the best in metal. Tipton with his soulful and powerful bluesy solo and Downing with his fast and mighty wah laced solo. Godly. There would be no Fade to Black without this song.

9. Heroes End 10/10 pays tribute to Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix with awesome solos how is that not good.

The bonus tracks are alright. Stained Class is my favorite Priest album and enjoy reccomending it to you, so get it now!

A little perspective is in order. This album came out in 1978, folks. This was before Iron Maiden and Metallica even existed....and this was Priest's fourth album. This is a building block album for subsequent metal greatness. Only the most avid Priest and metal fans don't underestimate this album. This is a must have if you are a metal fan, every song is a keeper. I particularly like "Beyond the Realms of Death" and "Heroes End". Songs like "Exciter", "Stained Class", "Better by you, Better than me" would be the best songs on any album by any other artist of that era. If you're a younger person that came on board during the Ripper, or late Halford era, do yourself a favor and go back into Priest's catalog for Stained Class, (Sad Wings of Destiny too). Take it from a fan that's followed this band for 30+ years. Buy it.