WOW! Let me first start off by saying that each Judas Priest studio effort is a distinguishable classic. The Judas Priest Remaster series is both good and bad. Good because each studio release sounds sonically superior to the old versions. All of them sound clean, crisp sounding from Sin After Sin through Painkiller. Also good on some of the reissues are the studio bonus tracks. I will review each bonus track as I review each reissue, some are better than others. The bad part about the studio ablum remasters series is the live bonus tracks (do not be confused, the live bonus tracks on both live reissues are great, and I include those bonus tracks in the reviews). ALL the live bonus tracks are lousy. The sound quality is good, just the performances are uninspried, and lame. From Sin After Sin's Jawbreaker (Halford sounds weak here) to Painkiller's Leather Rebel (which is made worse because it's rpobably the weakest song on Painkiller). If you are a fan who has all the studio albums already and are looking to wet your ears with the live tracks, forget about it, they will let you down. Seriously, the songs off of the Halford-less 98 Live Meltdown are more inspirational than these live bonus songs. Well that sums up the Remaster Series as a whole,

now on with the individual review...

This album is an UNDER-RATED Priest Jem. Sure, it's no British

Their previous album Turbo experimented with a more "pop" sound, but it was still heavy in some parts. With Ram it Down, the band makes a shift to a much more heavier sound. At the time, this was their heaviest album (until Painkiller came out two years later). There are still a few 80s touches, such as that electronic drum sound, and the guitars have that sort of "processed" feel. But overall, the album is pretty good. Ram it Down starts off the album with a shriek from Rob. Couldn't think of a better intro myself! This song is HEAVY, almost unlike anything they had come out with before. The guitar solos on this song are simply jaw-dropping. Love Zone is a catchy song that sounds like a glam metal song for some reason. But don't get me wrong, it still rocks! It's very heavy on that "processed guitar" sound I mentioned earlier. Hard as Iron is another heavy and fast song that just kicks you in the face. Even more awesome solos on this one. I'm a Rocker has an awesome message and is very melodic.

Johnny B. Goode seems to be a song that people love or hate. I happen to love it. They took a classic rock song and turned it into a full blown metal song successfully. I love the way Rob sings it, I think more people should give this song a chance! Come and Get It and Love You to Death are catchy songs, but they don't stand out as much as the others. Monsters of Rock is a nice slower-paced track that took some time to grow on me. Heavy Metal is a theme song for metalheads everywhere. It starts off with an AMAZING solo, and when the song kicks in, you automatically begin to rock out. Rob sings in a high tone practically throughout the whole song.

From what I heard, some of the songs off of this album where meant to be released as a double album called Twin Turbos, combining the material from Turbo with this album. Blood Red Skies sort of reminds me of Turbo, with its synths being played throughout the song. It is sort of an epic power ballad, with Rob hitting some HIGH notes. And the solos are amazing as always. You also get some nice live versions of Night Comes Down and Bloodstone. People seem to be divided over this album, I think it is awesome. Maybe not one of their better albums overall, but still one worth trying out!

Originally, 'Turbo' (1986) was to be released as a double record, featuring songs that are included on this record, released two years later. (For unreleased tunes from this period, listen to "Red, White & Blue" (from the 'British Steel' reissue) and "Prisoner of Your Eyes" (from the 'Screaming for Vengeance' reissue).) This would have made for a more traditional Judas Priest record overall, but as it was planned, the pop-oriented tunes on the former were panned by the rock press and the edgier tunes on this latter release were lost in the backlash.

"Ram It Down", "Heavy Metal", and "Monsters of Rock" are just as heavy any of the sounds on 'Painkiller' (1990) in that regard. "Blood Red Skies" combines the traditional two-guitar attack and post-apacolyptic lyrical landscape with a synthesizer to good effect. Even the radio-song, "I'm a Rocker", and the tongue-in-cheek rendition of "Johnny B. Goode", are appreciated.

The downside of 'Ram It Down' is the sound. By that time, it seems that Tom Allom, the long-time producer who began his tenure by spicing up the classic 'Unleashed in the East' (1979), hit an all-time low with this swan song.

BONUS TRACKS: As with the previous reissues, we have two live songs that has nothing to do with this particular record or the era it was recorded in, "Night Comes Down" (from the same 1984 show as "Jawbreaker" from the 'Sin After Sin' reissue, "Grinder" from the 'British Steel' reissue, and "Heavy Duty" from the 'Defenders of the Faith' reissue) and "Bloodstone" (from the same 1982 show as "Devil's Child" from the 'Screaming for Vengeance' reissue, "Screaming for Vengeance" from the 'Priest Live' reissue, and "Riding on the Wind" from the 'Hell Bent for Leather' reissue).

Ram It Down is certainly an album that did not get enough attention. If you want to know what would happen if you mixed Turbo and Painkiller, you get Ram It Down. This album has its positives and negatives. First thing, once you hear it, you could definitely tell it's from the 80's. You can tell that this album was following the trend at the time, but also trying new things. This is the only reason why I give it four instead of five stars, since it's stuck to this time period. What I really like was the direction Judas Priest went with this album. You can also definitely tell that this was the album before Painkiller. The title track, Heavy Metal, Hard As Iron, and Johnny B. Goode can attest to that and are the best songs on the album. The title track and Hard as Iron are the fastest tracks on the album and show that they were leaving the 80's trend after this album. Love Zone, Come and Get It, Blood Red Skies, and Love You To Death are great standing tracks as well, again, they sound very 80's, but they still are great songs to listen to. I heard I'm A Rocker live during their Angel Of Retribution Tour and it was great live, it's definitely a song that stands out for the album. To give fair warning, Ram It Down is for people who have heard a few of their earlier albums or Painkiller. It's not a good album to start with if your just getting into Judas Priest. You will definitely appreciate this album more if you listen to their other works first. Either way, if you're into 80's metal, now is the time for you to Ram It Down!

After nearly a year for this remaster to grow on me, I hail it as a masterpiece. From the opening screms of the title track, the album never lets up. Heavy Metal is a classic. Hard as Iron is the best track on the album next to the title track, with the lyrics of victory recalling Freewheel Burning. The opening notes of Blood Ride Skies recall The Hellion, and features excellent vocals at the intro. Love You to Death is one of the best heavy Priest love songs. The ominous closer, Monsters of Rock, recalls Heavy Duty. If you love metal sprinkled with cheese, you can't go wrong here. A vintage slab of 80s metal not to be missed.