Made Of Metal / Halford (2010)

1. Undisputed

2. Fire And Ice

3. Made Of Metal

4. Speed Of Sound

5. Like There's No Tomorrow

6. Till The Day I Die

7. We Own The Night

8. Heartless

9. Hell Razor

10. Thunder And Lightning

11. Twenty-Five Years

12. Matador

13. I Know We Stand A Chance

14. The Mower (Album Version)

When I heard that Halford was making a new album, I was wondering what kind of music direction they would head to. The first album was pure "Judas Priest" style heavy metal. The second album had more modern and heaviness taste and somewhat experimental. He also released 2 albums with "Judas Priest". The first one was pure straightforward heavy metal, and the other was an experimental concept album. He has been showing his strong will to carry the name of heavy metal and enthusiasm to open new paths.

Well, if I speak from my conclusion, this record is pretty straightforward heavy metal. However, evaluation of this album can depend largely on what your expectation of Rob Halford. In the most of the time in this album, you don't hear his high tone scream. If that is what you expect of him, you would be disappointed. He is surely getting old. If you are a metal musician, you would have retired long time before his age. Nevertheless, he still choose the carry the name of heavy metal. He uses his mid and low range voice almost entirely in this album. Yet, I think that the quality of songs are pretty high. 

The opening number, track 1, is pretty cool. Track 2 is one of my favorites. The title track and songs such as tracks 5, 8, and 10 are great metal songs. Track 6 is a very unusual song. He is showing his musical enthusiasm. Tracks 11 and 13 are dramatic, and I like them a lot. I would say that he opened a door to the new phase as a musician. I am impressed that how many songs he came up with limited range of voice. Each song has good hook in melodies. Even after the end comes to "Judas Priest", I think he still can continue his career as a heavy metal singer. Only thing bothers me is that sound production. It sounds so light and cheap that I first thought this album was demo...

☆☆☆