Episode 36: Judas Priest, part 2: The 1980s

The Rock and Metal Profs: The History and Philosophy of Rock and Metal

In episode 2 of our trio of shows on Judas Priest, we look at how the band garnered an international following, mainstream success, and millions of fans in the 1980s. The 80s saw Priest defining what it meant to be "heavy metal" with a string of brilliant albums, MTV coverage, fame, excess, and the tumult that accompanies such success. Along the way they influenced how millions of metal fans dressed, they released 3 of the greatest metal albums of all time (and a pop-metal album -- gaining legions of new fans and alienating their die-hard base), and they grappled with drug and alcohol abuse. Court and Matt celebrate "British Steel", "Screaming for Vengeance" and "Defenders of the Faith." The profs also debate whether or not "Point of Entry" and "Turbo" were good albums, as well as issues of gender identity, homophobia and misogyny in metal music in the eighties.