Defenders of the Faith

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This article is about the album. For the title, see Fidei defensor. For the Dungeons & Dragons optional rule book, see Defenders of the Faith: A Guidebook to Clerics and Paladins.
Defenders of the Faith
Defenders of the Faith cover
Studio album by Judas Priest
Released January 4, 1984
Recorded September - November 1983
Genre Heavy metal
Length 49:43
Label Columbia Records
Producer Tom Allom
Professional reviews
Judas Priest chronology
Screaming for Vengeance
(July 17, 1982)		 Defenders of the Faith
(January 4, 1984)		 Turbo
(April 15, 1986)

Defenders of the Faith is the 9th studio album (10th overall) by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. The album was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza, Spain and mixed from September to November 1983 at DB Recording Studios and Bayshore Recording Studios in Miami, Florida. The LP & cassette tape were released on January 4, 1984 and later appeared on CD in July. A re-mastered CD was released in May 2001. Three tracks were released as singles, "Freewheel Burning", "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll", & "Love Bites".

"Rising from darkness where Hell hath no mercy and the screams for vengeance echo on forever. Only those who keep the faith shall escape the wrath of the Metallian... Master of all metal."

-- Album back cover

The cover art by Doug Johnson (who also designed the Hellion in Screaming for Vengeance) depicts the Metallian, a ram-horned, tiger-like land assault creature conceptualized by the band.

"Eat Me Alive" was listed at #3 on the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen," a list of 15 songs the organization found most objectionable. PMRC co-founder Tipper Gore stated the song was about oral sex at gunpoint. In response to the allegations, Priest recorded the song "Parental Guidance" on the follow-up album Turbo. Defenders of the Faith is a guitar-related section in [[Guitar World]] Magazine in which Guitar World readers are shown along with personal Information. This is referred to as "Defending the Faith."

On the tour for this album, the band had played every song live, with the eception of "Eat Me Alive", which the band found too 'filthy'. On the tour for the Nostradamus album, in 2008, the band played a lot of songs which were never played live before, and one of them was "Eat Me Alive". This makes Defenders of the Faith the only Judas Priest-album from which every song was played live.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Rob Halford, K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton except where noted.

  1. "Freewheel Burning" – 4:22
  2. "Jawbreaker" – 3:25
  3. "Rock Hard Ride Free" – 5:34
  4. "The Sentinel" – 5:04
  5. "Love Bites" – 4:47
  6. "Eat Me Alive" – 3:34
  7. "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" (Bob Halligan, Jr) – 4:05
  8. "Night Comes Down" – 3:58
  9. "Heavy Duty" – 2:25
  10. "Defenders of the Faith" – 1:30

[edit] 2001 Bonus Tracks

  1. "Turn on Your Light" – 5:23
  2. "Heavy Duty/Defenders of the Faith (Live)" – 5:26

[edit] Personnel


[edit] External links

v • d • e
Judas Priest
Rob Halford · K. K. Downing · Glenn Tipton · Ian Hill · Scott Travis
Dave Holland · Tim "Ripper" Owens · Al Atkins · Les Binks · Alan Moore · John Hinch · Chris Campbell · John Pattridge · John Ellis · Simon Phillips
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Videos
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