Original Release: 5/88

Reissued/Remastered: 3/19/02

With the Judas Priest reunion in full swing, we thought we’d take a look back at the band’s remastered reissues that came out during 2001 and 2002. Some of these we covered in our Metal Dreams print magazine – MD#6, but many of them were missed when we transitioned to the web.

Ram It Down found Judas Priest moving back toward a heavier sound. Their previous outing, Turbo, was a commercial success but maligned by fans of Defenders Of The Faith and Screaming For Vengeance. Turbo’s commercial and guitar synth sound was abandoned for the full-out assault of the title track, “Heavy Metal,” “Come And Get It,” “Hard As Iron,” and “I’m A Rocker,” songs that spoke of all things metal. These tunes also had anthemic choruses and a searing guitar sound that was in line with the Defenders period.

Things did appear commercial and experimental on “Love Zone,” which featured a bunch of “Whoaooooooooohhhhhhhs” and some synthetic drumming. The closer “Monsters Of Rock” was a drab piece that was supposed to be menacing but came off poorly.

Ram It Down was pretty much overlooked upon its release. Opting to do a video “Johnny B. Goode” was a mistake, as it did not show fans that Priest was heavy again. Furthermore, the album suffered because it was released during a time when Poison and the like ruled the world. True metal was not being given much attention.

This re-master spotlights a fuller sound than the original release. Two live bonus tracks are also included – “Night Comes Down” from Defenders and “Bloodstone” from Screaming – absolute classics that sound great.

The Bloody Truth: Ram It Down set the tone for the even heavier Painkiller. Aside from the two weak tracks mentioned above, this is a very good Priest recording. If you overlooked it upon it release, and enjoy the Defenders era, check this one out.