April 14, 1980. English heavy metal band Judas Priest kicks the door in on a new decade and cements their rock legend status with British Steel.
Sure, Judas Priest had established themselves as a legitimate metal power in the ’70s: they spent part of 1979 supporting AC/DC on their Highway To Hell Tour. But their fifth album was their breakthrough album. It was the first album to feature Dave Holland on drums, and it saw the band’s sound move into a more accessible realm, beginning with lead single “Living After Midnight.”
If you bought the album in the U.S. when it came out back in 1980, “Breaking The Law” was your leadoff track. It was Track 3 on the U.K. version.
40 years on, British Steel still sounds as vital as it did at the dawn of the 1980s. Give it a spin to celebrate. And take another look at quasi-Priest documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot while you’re at it.