changed my life, man

So I was trolling some blogs yesterday, as I’m wont to do (beats working! etc). I ran across this MP3 of Judas Priest on Idolator, which was until very recently a Gawker blog. Under Nick Denton’s thumb, they were for some reason unable or unwilling to take part in the avalanche of free music that indie and major labels are currently trying to shove inside the internet. They were just bought by Buzznet (who also recently bought Stereogum), and the very first evidence of a change came yesterday in the form the MP3 of the title track from Judas Priest’s new album, Nostrodamus. To me, Judas Priest was that semi-lame “Breakin’ The Law” song, but I clicked it, because why the hell not.

And. Wow. It was just the right mix of insanity and amazing guitar work to make me think, “If the 2008 record is this good, the old ones must be amazing.” And Jesus Christ, is that true. I bought “Stained Class,” a 1978 record that AMG called “their best record of the ‘70s.” And. Wow. I have basically not stopped listening to it.

Honestly I feel like a changed man. There was Judas Priest out there this whole time, and I didn't even know! I was buying records that I THOUGHT rocked and I THOUGHT I knew what I was talking about, with my Radio Birdman and Motorhead and Slayer. But then there was Judas Priest. I'm just. . . I'm just so sorry I've neglected you, Priesty. Let's go ride motorcycles through a post-apocalyptic war zone under a blood red sky and really get to know each other.