Top 10 Songs by British Heavy Metalers Judas Priest

Judas Priest is one of the most controversial bands in rock and roll history. They've been charged with subliminally causing fans to commit suicide and practicing Satanism. The reality is far less sexy than the fantasy, but they are no less captivating with their stage show and dedication to producing some of the hardest hitting metal ever written. Here is, in my opinion, the band's Top 10 best songs.

1.) Living After Midnight

2.) Breaking The Law

3.) You Got Another Thing Coming

4.) Hellbent For Leather

5.) Devil's Child

6.) Metal Gods

7.) Diamonds and Rust

8.) Grinder

9.) Screaming For Vengeance

10.) The Sinner

"Living After Midnight" is totally anthemic. Much like Kiss's "Rock 'n' Roll All Night," the song has a raucous chorus that gets the whole crowd pumped up, and causes one to unknowingly press the accelerator closer to the floor. It goes well with bar-hopping, or the late hour when many rock concerts get out.

"Breaking The Law" is similar to "Living After Midnight," but it doesn't quit have a party theme to it. It's more in-your-face, speaking of rebellion and disgust with the social order. But like "Living After Midnight," it's a great driving song that even has a sample of police sirens at one point.

"You Got Another Thing Coming" follows suit with "Breaking The Law." Once again, we have an anthemic song, but it's neither party-oriented nor about social rebellion. But it seems to be one of the most recognized Judas Priest songs, and that's simply because it's a great song.

"Hellbent For Leather" is one of the best motorcycle songs of all time. It just screams Harley-Davidson. In fact, lead singer Rob Halford used to ride a motorcycle onto stage just before performing this song. And considering the group's legendary penchant for everything leather, this song rings so very true. After the song's performance on the "Live Vengeance '82" video, Halford throws his motorcycle over and whips it with a large bullwhip. Now that's metal!

"Devil's Child" is a bad-ass song about love gone totally wrong. "I believe you're the Devil / I believe you're the Devil's child addresses a woman or perhaps a man since Halford's gay. The lyrics talk about emotional and even physical abuse at the hands of this person, and there's a realization that this person is possibly evil. But unlike ballads of the time, this song keeps a hard rock rhythm and has some bad-ass guitar licks to keep it macho, yet still come across as a sort of break-up song.

"Metal Gods" is about the rise to power of the band, or it could be interpreted how lower middle class kids are elevating themselves to new heights through the pride and embracing of the heavy metal scene. This is definitely a fist-pumper at shows.

Although Judas Priest's version of "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez has gone through several incarnations over the years, I think the best is the version they played on the "Screaming For Vengeance" tour. While it has its slower breakdowns, it builds up throughout with an ending high-note hit by Halford, which is one of his trademarks (other than acting totally gay onstage for decades and having nobody suspect a thing until they connected the dots when he finally came out). They've effectively taken a tired old folk tune and turned it into an arena favorite.

"Grinder" is an all-out raunchfest of sexual desire and frustration. There's not much more that I can say about that. I'm surprised it's not used more often in sleazy stripper bars, because it would certainly go over well. "Grinder ... looking for meat / Grinder ... looking for meat / Grinder ... force you to eat."

Although it's lesser known, "Screaming For Vengeance" kicks off with one of Halford's trademark screams and follows up with a fast-paced guitar lick and is yet another song about freedom. With all these songs about freedom and displeasure with the social order you'd think it would get boring after awhile. But Judas Priest has somehow made each song cooler than the last.

"The Sinner" is an unknown to many Priest fans mostly because it was on the group's "Sin After Sin" album, one of its earliest. Later live versions are a bit better. The vocalization is somewhat downplayed, and it's guitarist K.K. Downing's extreme guitar solos that make this a gem for the diehard Priest maniacs. It's best seen on the "Live Vengeance '82" video that's available on DVD.

What's interesting is the solo almost patterns the vocalizations and in the screams and wails of the guitar you can visualize the anguish of The Sinner spoken of in the lyrics. It really is masterful, and it's one of the many examples that shows Judas Priest with fans that are a bunch of mindless morons of much of society would like to believe.