I bought my original copy in 1976, the week it came out, after reading a review in Sounds. Fifty years later, it sits alongside Sin After Sin as one of the most played Judas Priest albums in my collection. So this new vinyl remaster has a very familiar record to live up to.
The good news? It sounds brilliant. In fact, while my original is staying with me, this is the version I shall be playing.
Taking a chance on Judas Priest in 1976
In every group of music-loving friends, there was usually someone who took the first chance on an unfamiliar album. You read the music papers, something caught your eye, and you bought it. Everyone else waited to hear whether it was worth investigating.
With Sad Wings of Destiny, I was that person.
As I remember it, the review suggested something between Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and perhaps Led Zeppelin. That was enough to get my attention. Then there was the sleeve, the photographs of the band on the back and those intriguing song titles.
I took it home, put on side one, and heard “Victim of Changes.”
That was the beginning of a relationship with this album that has lasted half a century.
Why Sad Wings of Destiny matters
Released on Gull Records in March 1976, Sad Wings of Destiny was Judas Priest’s second studio album, following Rocka Rolla. The line-up was Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, Ian Hill and drummer Alan Moore. Recorded at Rockfield Studios in late 1975 and mixed at Morgan Studios in London, it was produced by Jeffery Calvert, Max West and Judas Priest. K.K. Downing´s Steel Mill
For me, its importance lies in how much of Priest’s musical identity you can already hear. The twin guitars, the dramatic arrangements, the shifts between delicate passages and crushing riffs, and Halford’s extraordinary vocal range all come together here.
This is heavy metal with imagination and room to breathe. There is aggression, certainly, but also vulnerability, atmosphere and a willingness to take the listener somewhere unexpected.
“Victim of Changes” is the obvious example. Its opening draws you in before that absolutely bone-crunching riff arrives. Then the song moves through changes of mood and intensity that make the heavy passages even more powerful.
“Dreamer Deceiver” contains some of my favourite Rob Halford vocals anywhere. His performance is extraordinary. And the unusual guitar riffs in “Island of Domination” remind me that this band’s musical vocabulary was already much broader than a straightforward heavy rock approach.
For anyone discovering Priest through their later albums, this is an essential part of the story. You can hear the foundations of the band they would become, alongside a sense of exploration that gives Sad Wings its own character.
The artwork and packaging
Putting the new sleeve beside my original, the colours on the reproduction are slightly brighter. Personally, I prefer the new one. The image looks detailed and striking, and Patrick Woodroffe’s sleeve painting remains such a powerful part of the album’s identity. The original credits also acknowledge art director John Pasche and cover concept creator Neil French. K.K. Downing´s Steel Mill
The card stock feels substantial, and the fiery orange vinyl looks wonderful.
Inside, there is a printed inner sleeve with historical photographs, tape images and information about the anniversary edition. But the record itself comes in a separate antistatic sleeve.
Full marks for that.
They could have put the vinyl straight into the printed inner. Instead, they have included something that protects it. These details matter when you want a reissue to feel special, and this one does.
The running order: I still want Victim of Changes first
There is one change that takes some getting used to.
The new edition opens with “Prelude,” with “Victim of Changes” beginning the second side. Exciter Records describes this as the band’s intended running order. Exciter Records
On my original, the label identifies “Victim of Changes” as side one, track one, even though the back cover lists the other sequence. I have spent fifty years listening to it that way.
So, while I understand the reason for presenting this edition with “Prelude” first, emotionally I am still attached to the opening I grew up with.
For me, “Victim of Changes” is one of the great invitations into an album. That introduction, followed by the arrival of the riff, makes you want to hear everything that follows.
When you know a record this well, its running order becomes part of your relationship with it. Changing it is a bit like your favourite chef adding something unexpected to the meal you have been ordering for years. It might be intentional, but you notice immediately!
That is my personal adjustment to make. It does not diminish how much I enjoyed the sound of this edition.
How does the remaster sound?
According to the accompanying notes, this edition was mastered at half speed by Matt Colton. Exciter’s description confirms that the release uses the original 1976 analogue master tapes and was produced in cooperation with Judas Priest. Exciter Records
Listening to it reminded me of that moment when you change a component in your hi-fi system, put on a familiar record and suddenly sit up and think: “Wow.”
That was my reaction here.
I know this album extremely well. It has been played repeatedly over decades, so hearing it make that kind of impression again was a real pleasure.
After a few plays, of course, you start getting used to the new presentation. That initial surprise settles into the enjoyment of listening. But the excitement was there immediately, and it has made me want to keep returning to it.
Sad Wings of Destiny still sounds relevant, involving and full of life. This remaster has renewed my enthusiasm for an album I already loved.
Will it replace my original?
I will never get rid of my 1976 copy. That record carries memories of discovering the band, sharing the music with friends and living with these songs for fifty years. It is part of me.
But when I want to play Sad Wings of Destiny now, this new edition will be the one I reach for.
The sound, the sleeve, the vinyl and the care taken with the packaging make it feel like a worthwhile anniversary release.
There is also a separate remixed and remastered edition, which I have yet to hear. Exciter lists the original-master edition and the remix as distinct releases. Home Having enjoyed this remaster so much, I am very interested to hear what the remix brings, and I hope to review it separately.
For now, this is a wonderful way to revisit one of my favourite Judas Priest albums.
Have you compared it with an original pressing? Does “Prelude” work as the opening for you, or will “Victim of Changes” always come first? And where does Sad Wings of Destiny sit in your own Priest collection?
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
