DVD Review: Judas Priest - Rising in the East

Filmed in May 2005, reunited and grizzled metal gods Judas Priest return to Tokyo's famed Budokan concert hall, where their 1979 live album Unleashed in the East was recorded.

This concert disc mixes old classics like "Breaking the Law" and "Victim of Changes" with cuts from this year's "Angel of Retribution" disc. The 5.1 sound is very, very good and will fill your room. Performace-wise, Priest's drummer, Scott Travis, is the unsung hero of the band. A less irritating version of Lars Ulrich, he is a machine who holds it all down. How the hell does he stay co-ordinated? Also of note is riffmaster K.K. Downing, who I think is very underappreciated by the rock guitar community.

Where this DVD falls short, however, is in the performance of lead singer Rob Halford. The guy is washed up ... there's no other way to say it. He spends probably half the show bent over, holding on to his mic stand, and looking at the teleprompter. Not very metal, Rob. The screams have also evolved into growls. If you can get past that, go for it, but even I cringed a little bit and Priest is easily in my top 5 favourite groups of all time. Halford should look to Ronnie James Dio on the "Evil or Divine" DVD for a lesson on how to perform at an advanced age.

If you are a newer fan and are interested in discovering more about Priest, I would recommend their 2003 "Electric Eye" DVD, which contains a classic 1986 performance from Dallas, to get acquainted with them. "Rising in the East" is a nice souvenir for fans, but it's certainly not Priest at the top of their game.

Rumour has it that a 1982 show from Memphis on the "Screaming for Vengeance" tour is about to see wide release. You can bet that if it does, I'll be all over it.

Overall rating: 7.0 (but that's because I'm a huge fan).