Judas Priest was a steadily evolving metal machine. Their twin-guitar attack of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing gave rise to the term. Their deconstruction of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” takes her ode to Bob Dylan and runs roughshod over its remains. Along with the now classic metal gallop of “Sinner” and the years-ahead-of-its-time grind of “Dissident Aggressor”, the album is one of many peaks for the group. The production is relatively tame compared to their live show, but session drummer Simon Phillips, then just 19, keeps the band tight and focused and there is a great stereo effect working through the chugging guitar chords, as “Starbreaker” makes plainly evident. “Last Rose of Summer” is a hard-rock ballad that doesn’t mind remaining a ballad. Halford sings it thoughtfully. “Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest” is a classic epic that easily glides through the gear and time shifts. The 2001 collection includes “Race With the Devil” from the Stained Class sessions and “Jawbreaker”, a track from Defenders of the Faith, recorded live in California in 1984.