Judas Priest Album: “Metalogy [Box] [Limited] [Remaster]”

What better way to celebrate 30 years of Judas Priest than this excellent box set? Spanning every album from their debut album "Rocka Rolla" to 2001's "Demolition", "Metalogy" features every classic Priest song you'd expect: "Tyrant", "Victim of Changes", "Diamonds and Rust", "Beyond the Realms of Death", "Better By You, Better Than Me", "Green Manalishi", "Hellbent for Leather", "Electric Eye", "You've Got Another Thing Coming", "Living After Midnight", and tons more. Songs are digitally remastered (those from "Rocka Rolla" sound better than ever before), and the bonus DVD which features Priest tearing up Memphis in late 1982 during the "Screaming for Vengeance" tour, makes this package all the sweeter. A massively packed book loaded with pictures and info is included as well, and is a must have for Priest fans on it's own. All in all, "Metalogy" is one of the few (very few) box sets worth owning for long time fans, and it superbly covers the career of one of the most influential and pioneering bands in heavy metal history.

I became a Priest fan back when Screamin for Vengeance was out on vinyl and my school chums would sit around listening to it and playing air guitar or Atari 2600. Ah those were the days.

Four big CDs of great Priest material, the infamous Memphis show (which I have had on video for over 15 years and is well worn), and a book. The book gives an overall history, but does not have linear notes on specific songs like 'Metal Works '73-93' does. However there are some great pictures and old quotes that many I remembered reading in Hit Parader years ago.

All box sets are guilty of leaving off songs that I like and I think are important. That's why I already have all the albums. Had them for years. Hey stone me if I think 'Last Rose of Summer' is a great song.

Ripper Owens has a small part of this box and I think that's good. Bands should not ignore any part of their history when making a set like this. Maybe if there had been one more disc to throw in, maybe a European concert featuring Ripper would have been good because personally I never saw that lineup. But then again Priest purists say that without Halford it's not Priest.

The Memphis show is amazing. That is a HUGE wall of Marshalls. It's a much better show than the Turbo Tour in Dallas where 'Priest...Live' came from. The band looks much cooler and Rob is not changing leather outfits every song. Plus, he just looked cooler with the short hair. When he let it grow he did look kind of like a dork. Yes, the Memphis show is a great testement to the Priest legend and it's great seeing ot on DVD for the first time.

Hey if you like Priest and already have all their stuff I guess you can do without this, but for the price it's a great keepsake and tells everyone you are still and ever will be a 'Defender of the Faith'.

If you have all the original Priest CDs already, like myself, you may be wondering, why buy this box set? Here are some points to consider when answering that question:

Con: Most all of the material has already been previously released

Con: The cardboard CD holders left me, well, a little flat

Con: The album "Ram It Down" could have been better represented by replacing "Heavy Metal" with "Hard As Iron."

Con: The wording's been switched around. The title of the release should read "Judas Priest - Live on the Screaming for Vengeance tour" DVD with 4 bonus CDs!

Bottom line, it's all about the DVD if you already have all the previous releases. It would be difficult for me to recommend it for the music CDs as it's well worth it to buy every disc from Rocka Rolla to Painkiller.

I honestly beleive without judas priest the metal world would be differant.This compilation is awesome.Every single classic to every single headbanging song rules.Not to mention never before released live songs and the dvd from the screaming for vengeance tour,WOW!!!Excellent packaging and if you love priest buy this now or suffer the consiquences!!!!!

I was able to get this box set last night before it went on sale today 5/11/04. This box set should've been released as a single disc containing all of the b sides, demos & live tracks that are spread out over the 4 Cds in this set. Then just make the DVD available separately. If you don't have all of JP's music yet then get this. It's a great overall review of everything they've done. $60 might be a little much to someone who already has all of JP's material. Like I said above, all of the extras could've fit on 1 CD and the price would be a lot less. Even if the DVD was packaged with the single disc it would've made this more appealing. The DVD of the Memphis '82 show is great. Done in 5.1 it really shines. Getting the DVD was my whole point in getting "Metalogy". I can now get rid of my VHS tape I've had for 20 years. It's a good thing I had gift cards with about 30 bucks left on them left over from Christmas or I never would've spent $60 on my own for this box set. The DVD should've been made available on it's own. If you can spare to spend $60 for this get it, you wont be dissapointed. If you already have all of JP's stuff...wait for a friend to get it and then borrow it.