JUDAS PRIEST - Raisins In The East! Page 2
by Martin Popoff

Elsewhere, look for the Accept-like stomp of 'Revolution'. "Yeah, there's just that thundering bass riff, you know? Another definitive, spectacular, riffy Priest moment. The message is about the attitude of Priest, never holding back, always being determined to give you a full-on full roar, a full experience; it's got everything in it."

Things pick up for Deal With The Devil, a track that flares with full headbanged glory. "That's a bit of an autobiography, isn't it?" queries Rob. "You're talking about where Priest came from. It's a bit tongue-in-cheek. Lyrically, I was reflecting on that unfortunate moment in Reno, not trying to lighten the moment or make fun of it, but give an overview of people - in those days, not so much now - how they used to observe metal in a different way. And we were saying, 'Yeah, we made a deal with the devil,' tongue in cheek, of course."

"When we first went out there, it was a really unusual experience for us," says Rob, looking at the band's history with Japan, a history that took them full circle to Budokan. "And it was a totally new experience for the Japanese fans to see something like Priest showing up and playing live. We were one of the first metal bands to go over there, and we were kind of wondering what was going to happen when the lights went down and the drapes went up. And I think, really, you can sense that on Unleashed In The East. Because you hear that kind of ecstatic screaming reaction at the end of every song. But during the performance, I mean, the fans at that point would literally just stand there, or in some cases, just sit there, because they didn't know how to react. They'd just really take every single nuance of the performance in, in a very Japanese way, and then go explosive at the end of every song for a short moment in time, then get ready for the next one. But now, of course, it's just off the hook, you know? Just as mad as everybody else is."

JUDAS PRIEST - Raisins In The East! Page 3