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"Painkiller"
Single by Judas Priest
from the album Painkiller
Released3 September 1990 [1]
Genre
Length6:06
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Chris Tsangarides
Judas Priest singles chronology
" Johnny B. Goode"
(1988) 		"Painkiller"
(1990) 		" A Touch of Evil"
(1991)
Music video
"Painkiller" on YouTube
Lyric video
"Painkiller" on YouTube

"Painkiller" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in 1990; it was later released as a single on Columbia Records. [2] It is off the band's twelfth album of the same name as the opening track. The lyrics tell the story of the Painkiller, the character featured on the cover of the album, who is a cyborg superhero who saves mankind from destruction.

Since its release, "Painkiller" has become one of Judas Priest's most popular songs. [3] [4]

Composition

The drum intro was composed by Scott Travis in the studio initially just as a warm-up routine while the engineers were testing the drum microphones. [5]

Guitarist Glenn Tipton said that the "Painkiller" solo is one of his favorites to perform (the other being the solo on “ Beyond the Realms of Death”). [6]

Reception

PopMatters said, "Nobody saw this song coming. Featuring a thunderous intro by new drummer Scott Travis – a colossal improvement over the technically limited Dave Holland – and highlighted by Halford’s maniacal performance, this was Priest embracing extremity without pandering, and sounding once again vital, relevant, and best of all, more powerful than ever." [7]

In 2012, Loudwire ranked the song number two on its list of the 10 greatest Judas Priest songs. [8] In 2019, Louder Sound ranked the song number one on its list of the 50 greatest Judas Priest songs. [9]

Cover versions

Japanese band Babymetal performed an abridged version of the song at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards alongside Rob Halford, which led into another Judas Priest song, " Breaking the Law." Babymetal performed these songs later in the year during their tour supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers, with singer Su-metal performing all vocals and RHCP's Chad Smith playing drums. [10] [11]

Death covered the song on their 1998 album The Sound of Perseverance

Personnel

Judas Priest

Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (1990) Peak
position
UK Singles ( OCC) [13] 74

References

  1. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Judas Priest - Painkiller". hitparade.ch.
  2. ^ Painkiller - Judas Priest | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 21 January 2022
  3. ^ Swanson, Dave. "Top 10 Judas Priest Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  4. ^ Hartmann, Graham. "10 Best Judas Priest Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  5. ^ "JUDAS PRIEST's SCOTT TRAVIS 'Never In A Million Years Would Have Imagined' Coming Up With Signature Drum Intro Like 'Painkiller'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 27 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Welcome to Dave's On Tour!!". www.davesontour.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  7. ^ Adrien Begrand. "THE 15 BEST JUDAS PRIEST SONGS". PopMatters.
  8. ^ Hartmann, Graham (24 August 2012). "10 Best Judas Priest Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  9. ^ Chantler, Christ; Lawson, Dom (8 October 2019). "The 50 Greatest Judas Priest songs EVER". Louder Sound. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Watch Rob Halford Cover Judas Priest Classics With Babymetal". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Babymetal Perform With Judas Priest's Rob Halford at Alternative Press Music Awards". Loudwire. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  12. ^ a b Kennelty, Greg (7 November 2020). "DEEP PURPLE's Keyboardist Reveals He Played Bass On JUDAS PRIEST's Painkiller". Metal Injection. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
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