judas priest's 'pain killer' is something of a career highlight: as each stage of heavy metal's development the band proved their might and influence. while holding on to the 70s anthemic style they pioneered, here they bolted on thrash metal's speediness, blast beat drumming and a vitality that pumped kk dowling and glen tipton's duelling guitar prowess to stratospheric proportions. of course, rob halford's soaring vocals top the fury as ever. most power metallers regard this as the quintessential power metal album but it's much more than that, it's a thumping triumph and on wax once more.