Judas Priest – Turbo

I'm sure every Judas Priest fan knows the cons of the "Turbo" album: it deviated into synth-heavy Pop Metal territory that any 'true' fan of the genre would scoff at, the guitars were somewhat watered down and the subject matter (particularly on "Parental Guidance") seemed ill-fitting for a then 35 year old Rob Halford to be singing about. But what about the positives? No one can claim it has the same artistic value as their 70s albums, but while Turbo is often perceived as a mis-step in their career, it is a well produced, well written/structured and above all an incredibly fun mis-step. Halford, having battled drinking and drugs that roughed up his voice in the early 80s, came back with a strikingly clear and powerful voice. In addition, Tipton and Downing's arrangements continued to put other bands of the era to shame as evidenced by "Out in the Cold" and the progression of the solo in "Turbo Lover". Essentially it comes down to whether you can stand its digital production, subject matter and overall sound. "Turbo" is a great album in its own right and certainly better than any other Hair/Pop Metal album by a long, long distance.

An interesting point: it was originally meant to be a double-CD vaguely-concept album called "Twin Turbos". Being 1986 and a major record label, it was turned down and their material was condensed into this final single-CD record. What if, eh...