By the time 1986 rolled around for the Judas Priest, they had been through a lot. Rob Halford had been through the deepest trudges of alcohol and pain pill addiction. His former boyfriend couldn’t take the pressure of the record industry keeping their relationship closeted and shot himself in the head; right in front of Halford. The band on the other hand had been enjoying multi-platinum success. However, Tipper Gore put them on her stupid ass list of 15 most dangerous acts due to the song ‘Eat Me Alive’ from 1984’s ‘Defenders of the Faith’ album. While it did little to stifle their fan base, they record industry insisted that the band was reckless and demanded reform. The result was a record that none of the heavy metal world expected, well not really. A clean, synth infused heavy metal record called ‘Turbo’. It fit the times perfectly, particularly in the United States, where it was a smash hit. While the album was their most successful stateside at this point, it did alienate the hardcore fans who had been following the band since 1976’s ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’. The often thought provoking, dark lyrics were replaced with themes of partying, summer nights, hot babes and general teenage hormone induced frenzies. The heavy proto-thrash that Judas Priest invented was glossed over by smooth, synth guitars and a digital production. The record was and still remains their most controversial among fans. Many love it, many truly loath the album with a fervor typically saved for wartime. Personally, it’s one of my absolute favorites. Judas Priest were smart, they new how to mix their sound with the ongoing keyboard revolution. It is, without a doubt, a Judas Priest record. It has their sound all over it. It is a little glossy on the production. But honestly, I think that the synths are used to beef up their sound. The sound is so crisp, thick and Ian Hills bass shines through the production cut; something lacking in previous records. If you really care about what Judas Priest are singing about then okay. I understand why this album may not be for you. It’s not particularly lyrically stimulating. What it is however, is musically stimulating. The songs are upbeat, the vocal melodies are catchy as hell, the guitars are heavy and dense. It also has some of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton’s best solos in the entire Priest catalogue. While all of those elements make it a great Priest record, it’s also a true piece of American generation X culture. Check out the documentary ‘Heavy Metal Parking Lot’. It captures the tailgating hours of a Priest concert showing a truth of 80’s youth culture. The ‘Turbo’ album went above and beyond the Priest story, it became a piece of documented heavy metal history. Unfortunately the album would come back to bite them in the long run and their follow up, 1988’s ‘Ram it Down’, flopped. The album returned to their traditional sound, but the new fans didn’t buy into the sound and the faithful had lost their faith. Ultimately, the results of ‘Turbo’ would go on to fuel the band to completely reinvent themselves for the 90’s resulting in the perfect album ‘Painkiller’, which every Priest fan worships. If you hate the ‘Turbo’ album, just think, if it weren’t for the record, ‘Painkiller’ may have never happened. For that we can always be thankful, despite our different opinions on the ‘Turbo’ album.
In Defense of…Judas Priest’s ‘Turbo’
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