Point of Entry in Bloomington, MN

Having reinvented themselves as an arena
metal
act with the hugely successful
British Steel
,
Judas Priest
naturally opted to stay the course with
Point of Entry
, keeping things simple while adding a bluesy boogie in places, a sound they hadn't really attempted in quite some time. However, where
's simplicity was an effective reworking of the band's sound,
's songs aren't always up to par, making its less well-crafted tracks sound like lunkheaded, low-effort filler. When
works, it works well --
"Heading Out to the Highway,"
"Solar Angels,"
and
"Desert Plains,"
for example, are great, driving
hard rock
songs, but
British rock
anthem hits
"Don't Go"
"Hot Rockin'"
seem oddly generic given
Priest
's reputation for inventiveness. Even if
is somewhat disappointing overall, though, it's partly because of the album's genre-transforming predecessors; it does have enough good moments to make it worthwhile to diehards and fans of the group's more commercial '80s output. ~ Steve Huey