Judas Priest (Prog Metal)

Long thread, and I've barely skimmed it...

From a compositional/ structural viewpoint, and approach to making music, just how similar is Judas Priest to Prog?  How influenced was it by progressive rock?  Do they blend genres and take an adventurous approach to making music?  I seem to remember Judas Priest being considered quite groundbreaking and experimental in the early 80's, but since I wasn't into metal, I don't know.

I don't think paving the way for progressive metal should be enough (there is no proto-metal category), or even expanding musical horizons (being progressive).  I think it should similar attributes particular to progressive rock and metal.  I just wonder if this was more influential to metal generally than to Progressive Metal specifically.

I don't know about later albums or their career, but here's a little article I just found (I'll reprint an excerpt...)

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/5204515/review/6054044/metalogy

When Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath in 1979, the way was clear for a new heavyweight champ of metal. Enter Judas Priest (like Sabbath, from Birmingham, England), a quintet that had up to then released four anemically produced albums. That all changed with 1979's Hell Bent for Leather, a record that effectively removed metal's Seventies-era prog-rock flab. Songs such as the title track were compact, radio-ready blasts of fury that set the stage for every Eighties band from Motley Crue to Metallica.

Edited by Logan - April 23 2008 at 12:32

Metallica's possible inclusion was decided by M@x,and he very emphatically said NO.So any dicussion about the addition of Metallica is pointless,because it will never happen.

In order to keep this thread up to date, I just wanted to relay a message from Easy Livin' that the Admin team has voted to reject Judas Priest for Prog Related. 

^ at least that's better than "un-i-ted, un-i-ted, un-ITED we stand..."

For  those who are for JP's inclusion and consider the first 3 albums as being justification for PA, does the fact that Rocka Rolla & Sin After Sin suck big time have any bearing on arguing against them. Sad Wings of Destiny ranks up there with the great metal albums released by their contemporaries Sabbath, Purple and others. But the 1st & 3rd are mostly filler.
Indeed, some reviews that I read before buying ( and later trading back) Rocka Rolla seem to consider it more blues based, in the way that the first Sabbath album was.

I hope M@x one day open his eyes and forgets about the "metal" in "Metallica" and gives his OK..

IMO even the first three albums of Judas Priest do not justify their inclusion as prog-metal or prog-related because even considering they have some technically demanding songs in these albums, the major part of them are just good old 70's hard rock.

I would say no for Judas Priest's inclusion. A great band, highly influential, but to my mind not prog enough to qualify for PA.

In case anyone is interested Judas Priest's new album Nostradamus will be released on June 17th.

Just to renew this debate.  I haven't heard the new album yet, but this newly created thread does suggest that the new album is Prog Metal.  I am curious to see what others think and have to say about the new album.  It doesn't come out until tomorrow here, but I suspect that I will pick it up shortly.