The guitar riff from "Breaking the Law" is one of the most recognizable from early 1980s heavy metal. Though British Steel sounds dated these days, it's also a classic slice of metal, one of the best from a band that defined the genre in the late '70s and early '80s. Everything that ultimately became characteristic of heavy metal is here, from the lightning-fast riffs on "Rapid Fire," the anthemic "Metal Gods," and "United" to the obligatory party song "Living After Midnight" to the equally obligatory youth-rebellion song, "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise." British Steel is unquestionably Priest at their peak. The 2001 remastered reissue includes two bonus tracks--a previously unavailable studio selection called "Red, White & Blue" and a live take on "Grinder." --Genevieve Williams

2009-06-30 -- 5/5:: The opening night of "British Steel Live" in Indianapolis!!
The album, and band have never sounded better!! The Murat Center will never be the same, and it's a must see tour!!

2009-06-25 -- 5/5:: The Finest British Metal Album Ever Recorded...
( Written by Metalhead Ted )1980 was a banner year for Heavy Metal music. AC/DC released "Back In Black", Motorhead had theirs- "Ace of Spades", Iron Maiden debuted, Black Sabbath returned with Dio on "Heaven and Hell" and Judas Priest finally broke through with "British Steel".
No other true Metal Album has sounded this good.
Every one of the tracks on this album is superb except for "You don't have to be Old to be Wise." At the time, Priest had replaced their old drummer Les Binks, with Dave Holland-A fresh, more talented and powerful drummer who would now complete the classic Priest line-up. Halford has mentioned in interviews that he can remember growing up in Birmingham, UK,
having to endure the endless pounding and hammering of the foundries and metal industries nearby. "Subconsciously, I think we wrote our songs with that in mind." British Steel not only showcases the band at a high point in their careers, but also is uncompromising in its relentless assault. This was Priest on their terms-without the countless compromises that CBS would lay on them later, as all major labels do to their "product" eventually. What comes through when you hit "Steeler" is pure and beautiful. The 'anthems' may sound dated to the critics or non-Priest fans today, but this album rocks- from beginning to end. If you ask professional engineers or technical people who were in the rock music industry at that time they will tell you that British Steel was one of the best sounding and best produced albums of the Early Eighties.
Many of the tracks are still played live by the band today as this album
has not only become a classic, it has several generations of fans growing up hearing it and falling for it. The story of Halford trying to fall asleep in an upstairs room in the studio one night during the making of the album is a great piece of Metal lore. Glenn was cranking out the riffs for what would later become "Living After Midnight" as Halford wrote the lyrics since he was kept up all night. This is such a landmark album for so many reasons, we simply don't have the space to write down all of them. This was a great moment for Priest and their future was as open as the highway outstreched before them. North America was still a new frontier for them and remained unconquered. "British Steel" finally
put them on the map. They earned it all. A truly legendary album. The 2 Bonus Tracks are : "Red/White/Blue" and "Grinder" (live). The first was a "Turbo" leftover and the Grinder track is awesome.

2008-12-20 -- 5/5:: Classic album by JP
I've listened Judas Priest since 2006, on our way to Cedar Point of course, Well Judas Priest is a British heavy metal band from the 80's, 90's and so on. Also, it has some really awesome songs like Turbo Lover, Some Heads are Gonna Roll, Living After Midnight, Breaking the Law, and You Got Another Thing Comin'. Well my favorite albums are British Steel, Screaming for Vengence, Turbo, Defenders, etc.

Here is what think about the songs (in all albums):

"Breaking the Law": *****/*****- classic song to any YouTube video (Beyblade, Battlebots, Robot Wars, etc)

"Living After Midnight": *****/*****- awesome, very catchy too, it's probably my favorite of the Judas Priest songs, I only listen to this song, when I go to amusement park to watch a roller coaster go into action, and or other events. again, a underrated classic hit and never gets old.
This song is also useful for a Beyblade music video, Now thats what I'm talking about!

"Turbo Lover": *****/*****: crazy fun, useful for roller coasters going in a fast speed.

"Painkiller": ****/*****: a little scary, but its still worth listening.

"Some Heads are Gonna Roll": *****/*****: classic fun, but common to listen, use it anywhere that suits you the most.

"You Got Another Thing Comin": *****/*****: very cool song, but easy to listen.

Thats all I have to say about this album, classic fun, full of excitement and everything.

One more thing, the name is Zac Ritner (Age 15), not R.Ritner (my username is Beybladefan1615).

Judas Priest (British Steel): 5/5

2008-10-15 -- 2/5:: One of the most overrated metal albums!
Judas Priest is one of the most famous metal bands, a lot of people consider it to be one of the best metal bands ever... Are they right? Of course! British Steel is one of the most famous metal albums, a lot of people consider it to be one of the best metal albums ever... Are they right? In my opinion, they aren't. Personally, I consider this album to be one of Priest's worst and one of the weakest famous metal albums. Besides, I don't really consider it to be a metal album, it sounds more like hard rock to say the truth.

This album is extremely overrated. I can't believe that Priest went from awesome albums like Stained Class to this only 2 years later... They went from awesome metal songs with great riffs to simple hard rock songs with average riffs. I fail to understand why so many people consider it to be Priest's best album. My guess is that most of those people prefer 80's mainstream hard rock over 80's metal.

The bad:

The songs on this album are so ridiculously simple... Most of them have only 4 riffs in total and those riffs are nothing special compared to most of Priest's riffs from the 70's. Ok, there's nothing wrong with simple songs, but the songs aren't only simple, they're also nothing special or in other words, they aren't like most of Priest songs from the 70's. Breaking The Law is so overrated, I used to like it, but I got bored of it fast... Some people think that it has an awesome chorus, but what's so awesome about it exactly? Its one of the least melodic choruses ever! Just say 'breaking the law' 8 times and you have the chorus. Living After Midnight is pretty catchy, but its just a generic and cheesy rock song... Ok, I guess that it wasn't generic in the 80's, but its just a very average song. United has a catchy chorus, but that's it. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise and Steeler are extremely forgettable.

Did I mention that this album has some of Priest's weakest solos? Now I did. I guess that I should also mention that its one of their least melodic albums.

The good:

The best song on the album is definitely The Rage. Its actually a great song, it has a cool intro, a great main riff (the best riff on the album) and the verses are pretty catchy (the best verses on the album). Rapid Fire, Metal Gods and Grinder aren't bad either, but damn, they're really nothing special, they're really simple, there's nothing really original about them and they aren't anywhere near as good as most of Priest's songs from the 70's. I know that I'm repetitive with that, but it has to be said.

So, its 50/50, half of the album is very average and the other half is just good. There's nothing really bad on this album, but there's nothing awesome either, its just very average overall.

Now, I have a question... How can anyone prefer songs like Breaking The Law and Living After Midnight over songs like Exciter, Beyond The Realms Of Death, Victim Of Changes, Sinner, Starbreaker... ? Ok, I understand if you're a fan of 80's mainstream hard rock, but otherwise I don't.

This album was nothing more than an attempt at becoming more famous. Thank god that Priest redeemed themselves with Screaming For Vengeance. Even Turbo is better than this album.

Do I recommend it? Well, I guess that most of the people who look at this site have already heard it, but if you haven't, I don't recommend it, but I can't really tell you to avoid it because a lot of people like it, so maybe you'll like it.

2008-09-20 -- 5/5:: 28 years later and they're still living after midnight!
"British Steel" is an important part of Judas Priest's career, because it marked an obvious change in their sound, and even image. Don't get me wrong, though, their '70s output was awesome, with such classics as "Stained Class", "Sin After Sin" and "Hellbent For Leather". But "British Steel" was the album where Priest put a new spin on their sound. As opposed to the bluesier, more psychedelic/acid-rock sound of their '70s classics, "British Steel" was a pure metal release, and you can hear this album's influence in such bands as Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax.
Here's a list of the songs and how I feel about them:
"Rapid Fire": A fast, chugging riff and a great drum intro kick off this speed-metal masterpiece. Lots of epic, action-based lyrics and some great guitar trade-offs between Glenn Tipton and KK Downing. One of my favorite songs on the album.
"Metal Gods": More great, heavy riffs, a passionate guitar solo and a great combo of Rob's phenomonal vocals and sci-fi lyrics.
"Breaking The Law": A legendary riff and sing-a-long chorus, this is a song that broke Judas Priest into the Top 40. Still a classic after repeated listens.
"Grinder": A slower and heavier song with sleazier, in a good way, lyrics, and another staple of the album.
"United": An uplifting, shout-a-long anthem, one of the best rock/ metal anthems ever written.
"You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise": An underrated, introspective song.
"Living After Midnight": A catchy, three-and-a-half minute fist pumper with awesome riffs, verses and an extremely cool guitar solo.
"The Rage": The complete opposite feel of the last song, this one does contain a cool bassline and some experimental textures. Although this song is one I wouldn't listen to when I'm feeling good, it does show Judas Priest maturing in their songwriting talent.
"Steeler": An adrenaline-pumping, fast-paced classic with more classic guitar work, singing and lyrics. An excellent way to close the album.

The remastered album also contains "Red White and Blue", a power ballad that I personally love, though think it's ironic that Judas Priest, a British band, would write a song about American pride. Oh well, no harm done. There's also a live version of "Grinder".
Overall:
"British Steel" is an undisputable metal classic that marked an important spot in Judas Priest's history. Some may not like this album as much as others, but all the same, this is one of the best albums in metal. I highly recommend it, as well as the rest of Judas Priest's catalogue, as they are one of my all-time favorite metal bands. Well, that about wraps up this review! Thanks for the time, and peace.