Judas Priest Painkiller (180g Vinyl LP) * * *

There is no overstating Judas Priest's position at the very top of heavy metal's Mount Olympus. The long-term association (eight consecutive live and studio albums) between the band and producer Tom Allom ended on 1991's Painkiller. The band and Chris Tsangarides handle co-production duties here marking the first time since 1978's Killing Machine that Priest had not enlisted Allom's talents. It's also the last Priest album to feature Rob Halford until his return in 2005 and the band's first with longtime drummer Scott Travis (Racer X). The balls to the wall collection finds the band embracing their thrash and speed metal roots and earning Gold-certification and a Grammy-nomination for Best Metal Performance along the way.