JUDAS PRIEST
Rising in the East DVD
Rhino Records 2005
www.judaspriest.com

Read the Glenn Tipton interview

Live Judas Priest pics (SET I) (SET II)

What’s the 4-1-1?
The reunited classic lineup of Judas Priest unleashes their trademark metal fury in this 2005 concert recorded at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. The DVD is recorded in 5.1 Surround Sound.

Genre
Heavy metal / hard rock

The Good
The selection of songs throughout the band’s catalogue is excellent. It leaves out the Ripper Owens era songs, which is fine by me. The 23 songs chosen for the set contains a surprise or two at least for me. I’d never expect to hear “I’m A Rocker” during the set list, yet there it is! I was also happy to see “Worth Fighting For” from Angel of Retribution was included. It’s my favorite track from the disc and to my mind one of the tracks that should be considered a Priest classic. The concert essentials like “Breaking The Law”, “Turbo Lover,” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” are all present and accounted for as well.
I thought the sound came across excellently; there are no hiccups that I caught that would distract from the enjoyment of the concert.

I liked one of the video tricks employed on the DVD where they would split the screen so you could see two of the band members at the same time though they were on separate sides of the stage. The multi camera angles used captured the show from every possible vantage point. You had the long distance full spread shot, the individual close-ups, and even some very extreme close up shots on Rob Halford. When I saw Rob Halford during his solo tour for the CD Resurrection, he was practically glued to one spot on the stage. I was very glad to see on this DVD that he was far more active. Halford, while not as active as Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson is on stage, did cover a lot of territory during the course of the show.

The Bad
While I thought the sound was great, it did seem like some of the vocals from Rob Halford got lost in the mix or rather he rushed through them and you could hardly hear them. I’d like to know why there aren’t any bonus features on the DVD. A high profile release like this from a big name metal band, and there’s NOTHING. I would’ve thought they’d at least have an interview or something.

The Verdict
If you have never had the chance to witness Judas Priest live in concert, like me, this DVD is a pretty decent substitute. You get a full-fledged 23 song two-hour dose of the magic that is the classic Judas Priest lineup. The quibbles I had with the DVD aside, you’ll like this concert. Rising in the East shows that the band may have gotten older, but they’ve lost none of their vitality. Long Live The Priest!

Did You Know?
Budokan has been the site of many live concert recordings. The most famous is arguably Cheap Trick’s At Budokan, which basically launched their platinum success. The song “Diamonds and Rust” was written by folk singer Joan Baez, and it’s also been covered by the medieval music group led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Blackmore’s Night.

Rating: out of 5

-- Jay Roberts