As for the music...this is classic Priest. Great to hear Halford back in the group. As for the U.S. cd releases, well, they both were less than satisfactory. Unlike some reviewers, my star rating is for hte music, not the CD issues. Most of you notice that there are two versions of this album available. There is a "dueldisc" edition and a limited "hardcover" book edition. The "dueldisc" version generates more problems. This is a new type of technology that is still in the working process and there is even a warning on the CD case. The disc features the music portion on one side and a the DVD features on the other. Because of this, the CD is thicker than the usual CD. Since it is thicker, the cd has a hard time playing in a lot of CD players. Forget about playing it in your CD deck in your car. Alot of players also scratch up the DVD side when trying to play the music side. I know a lot of people like myself like to make copies of our CD's so we can play 'em in our cars without worry of ruining the original discs. Forget about that as the new copy protection makes this impossible. Overall, the "dueldisc" edition blows and should be avoided. People wanting to avoid all the hassle of the ultra-garbage dueldisc version are better off buying the limited hardcover book edition. This has the CD and DVD on seperate discs. You are also able to make back-up copies of the CD for your car with this one. The downfalls of this release is that the CD and DVD come in little slipcases inside the 'book'. This means that if you keep removing the discs, you have a chance of damaging them. I even know a few individuals whose discs came pre-scratched because of these slipcases. The hardcover book is also only slightly better than those dreaded digipacks as it can get ruined very easily. Still, even with its downfalls, the limited is by far the way to go. If only they released it in a regular double jewel case instead...

THE BAND: Rob Halford (vocals), Glenn Tipton (guitar), K.K. Downing (guitar), Ian Hill (bass), Scott Travis (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (2005) 10 tracks clocking in at just under 53 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing artwork (no band photos), song credits/lyrics, and thank you's. Recorded at Old Smithy (Worcestershire, UK) and Sound City (San Francisco, CA). There are two versions of this disc available - a hard cover case with music disc only, and a 'dual-disc' featuring a single disc with music on one side and a DVD on the other (DVD features a brief documentary and footage from seven live songs on their 2004 "Reunited" tour). Label - Sony/BMG.

COMMENTS: Judas Priest is back on the heavy metal scene in 2005. "Angel Of Retribution" is a very heavy album with a few lighter songs thrown in the mix. It's been a long 15 years since Halford put his name on a Priest album ("Painkiller", 1990). Judas Priest had struggled since the day Halford left the band - putting out only 2 mediocre studio albums with Tim "Ripper" Owens at the helm. The original (4 member) line up is back - Rob Halford's vocals are finely tuned and there are plenty of his demon growls and signature high-pitched screams; dueling axes from KK Downing and Glen Tipton have never sounded better; Ian Hill is steady as ever on bass. Scott Travis (drums - from 1990's album "Painkiller") rounds out the quintet. "Retribution" rocks heavy with the exceptions being "Angel", "Worth Fighting For", and "Eulogy"... these 3 songs are still very good - just slower. Early picks as the faster/harder favorites would be the first two tracks - the intro "Judas Rising" leading into "Deal With The Devil", and track eight "Hellrider". The other tracks will grow on you - it's all chillingly good - no traces of filler. The tracks here are remniscent of old Priest as well as Halford's band in the 90's "Fight". Powerful double-bass drumming and screeching guitars dominate. Plenty of aggression, optimism and energy. Kerrang and Rolling Stone magazines give this disc two postive ball-busting reviews. Not to mention this old Priest line up stealing the show at the 2004 Ozzfest. Any fan of the band or Halford's solo material owes it to him/her self to get this disc. This is an album designed to both delight the faithful and to introduce metal's new listeners (the kids) to the timeless sound of an old classic metal band in top form. Old school metal is back! The flip side of the disc is the DVD - giving you a 40 minute documentary of the making of this album, as well as 7 live tracks (featuring old standards, "Living After Midnight", "Hellion/Electric Eye", "Metal Gods", "Hell Bent For Leather", etc). Is this 2005 release on line with some of their classic 80's material - ALMOST. Some reviewers have bashed the dual-disc and its thickness... I for one have not had any issues playing either side. Great dual-disc package (4.5 stars).

This is the album classic metal fans have been waiting for. Like many other fans, I was nervous about this make-or-break Priest disc but the boys (well, they're in their mid-50s) really pulled it off well!! What a great recording.

"Revolution" is exactly what it seemed to be - a decent, if not spectacular made for radio track amongst an album full of top flight metal. Make no mistake - the rest of Angel of Retribution IS CLASSIC PRIEST! I personally think it is the band's best effort since Defenders of the Faith. If you were to rank all Priest studio albums from best to worst this would definitely be in the top half among other classics like Vengeance, British Steel, Defenders, etc.

The lyrics are typical Priest lyrics - not Shakespeare but hardly cheesy ('cheesy' - a word used by people who grossly overestimate their own cool factor). No pointless profanity this time around. Keeping it clean and fun.

Perhaps most relevant is that it blows out of the water everything put out by current bands like Slipshod, Please-Kill-the-Switch-Engage, Lamb of God-Awful, and Forget-the-Shadows-just-let-the-curtain-Fall. Why? Guitars in proper tuning, solos that rip and convey a melody, and perhaps most importantly there is A SINGER WHO HAS ABILITY AND TALENT INSTEAD OF A HACK THROAT-SHOUTER.

Last fall there was Megadeth's 'The System Has Failed' now we get 'Angel of Retribution' - classic metal is on the rise.

I have listened to every song on Angel Of Retribution and I have to rank it as one of the all time Judas Priest classics. The sounds and songs on this CD are as diverse in sound as the band has been spanning their entire 30 year career.

While "Wheels of Fire" and "Demonizer" are Painkiller-esque, they have other tunes such as "Deal With the Devil" which is more like from "Screaming for Vengeance". "Worth Fighting For" would fit well on Hell Bent for Leather. The ballad "Angel", if it were on "Sad Wings of Destiny", would already be an all time classic as well as "Eulogy". "Revolution" sounds like some of the grinding classics of "Sin After Sin" and would fit right in with the other songs on it. "Loch Ness" is not a simple "metal" song, but more of a "rock opera" artsy style piece along the lines of "Beyond the Realms of Death".

If you want all hard 100 mph grinding stuff go buy some "thrash", if you want some band crunching the same chords at different tempos and a singer "growling" in the mic go buy some "nu-metal" or "death metal", but if you want some real straight forward classic heavy metal in its truest form buy "Angel of retribution" by Judas Priest. You will not be disappointed.

If you have be longing for this day?, you wont be disappointed as long as you're a genuine Priest fan. Every JP album has had a different vibe to it and this offering is no different other than the fact that it really does a great job of encompassing all that is Priest. It's fast, it's slow, it's melodic, it's got texture, it's got aggression, it's got balls. Halford is once again where he belongs, steering the good ship Judas Priest. He has a knack of bringing the best out of the rest of them and this cd proves that. In the Ripper years, Priest was missing something, an ingredient that was absent so to speak. Well I'm here to say, that missing ingredient is back and this helping of Priest is a good start to what should be a fantastic comeback by one of the worlds greatest metal bands. As far as tunage goes, I love them all and really get off on Lochness. I know it's a little long, even a little plodding at times and those lyrics are chessy as hell, but it just sticks in your head and to hear Rob belting out that chorus, Lochness!!!, man it just says WELCOME BACK!!

A solid return by the metal masters, not quite a 5 outta 5, but certainly a solid 4 or even maybe a 41/2. If I was to complain about something, it would be that I wish they would have perhaps had a little more info on the band (yes we all know who they are) in the cd jacket. Updated pics and some thoughts on the reunited Priest would have been cool. Other than the lyrics and the usual art work, credits etc, it's pretty sparse in that department. Cd sound quality is very good and that's Roy Z's department. He does not disappoint as all the instruments can be heard and that's a huge improvement over the last 2 cd's as the mixes were terrible.

The DVD part is a very cool extra as it lets you in on how they got back together and tells you a little of what these guys are about. With Rob back at the helm, these guys seem truly thrilled about the fact that they are all back together again. This reunion can only lead to bigger and better things in the future if this first release is the standard of what's to come.

I will be front row when they tour this year and I'll be loving every bloody minute of it!!

Welcome back Judas Priest!!