The Contrarians Panel: Dark Horse Album #6 - Judas Priest's Point of Entry

[@thecontrarians2438]

What would you give Point of Entry out of 10? If you want to join us subscribe over at: www.patreon.com/contrarians

[@godetonter4764]

I would give it a 3 because it only has 3 real songs Heading Out to the Highway, Solar Angels, and Desert Plains . Hot Rockin may be the Hardest and Heaviest song , but it is also the silliest , as the video can attest to. This could have been a concept album about riding through the desert if the 7 other songs would have been in the style of Heading Out to the Highway, Solar Angels, and Desert Plains

[@michaelabba5150]

Solid 8 even though the last 4 songs feel a bit throwaway. Always liked the production which somehow adds to the ethereal desert vibes.

[@Redrum1981]

10/10 my favorite Judas Priest album 🤘

[@freaky_j2207]

I love Point of Entry. I think it’s highly underrated. I agree You Say Yes is the weakest track but even that song has its moments and is listenable even if a bit generic. Highway is far superior to Living After Midnight and Breaking The Law. The one track that Doesn’t really do much for me is Hot Rockin which most people point to as one of the albums saving graces. It’s ok but a little cheesy. Much prefer Don’t Go and Turning Circles to Hot Rockin. I probably prefer it start to finish to British Steel or even Hell Bent For Leather. Possibly the one Priest album that appreciates the most the more you spin it.

[@andydigelsomina7888]

8 out of 10, where all the albums before (besides Rocka Rolla) were 10 out of 10, and Screaming and Defenders were 10 as well. Point of Entry has some sensational riffs, amazing vocals, only a couple of stinkers (Don't Go was their worse song to this point imo). The good songs are truly indispensable imo, and On the Run is a terrific...almost Biker Metal way to end a muscular album.

[@parishofrock2963]

One of my favourite Priest album. I think it’s a great follow up to British Steel. A subtle & clever metal album which was closer to what was happening in the US than the NWOBHM. 7.5/10 for me.

[@IraSiegel]

I give Point Of Entry an 8/10. I really dig this album and production. Solar Angels and Desert Plains rule. 🌵 🏜

[@franciskocher200]

😃👍👍

[@ellamcclanahan9811]

Point of entry was like British steel part two for me I loved that album

[@naturalthing1]

Point of Entry is much better than Turbo, Jugulator, Demolition, Angel of Retribution, Nostradamus, Redeemer of Souls and Firepower

[@chrisflood9205]

What he said

[@neuroisis85]

Agreed 100%, it's better than Ram It Down as well imo

[@arturoalmazan5262]

Firepower, Redeemer of souls , angel of retribution , Demolition yes but better than Jugulator?? are you crazy ? hell no. nostradamus is plain awful

[@jamesarduini2688]

Yes!!!!!

[@johnzavradinos4677]

I always loved this record,it's very underrated. "Desert Plains", "Solar Angels" and "Heading Out To The Highway" are among my favorites.

[@Redrum1981]

My favorite Judas Priest of all time 10/10

[@franciskocher200]

😃👍👍

[@fogzax]

Before I start watching - personally Point of Entry is one of my favourite Priest albums

[@franciskocher200]

Point of Entry is an amazing album.The best vocal performance of Rob Halford (in my opinion)...8/10.👍👍👍

[@zachary1966]

Agreed!

[@kallknall4686]

Halford at his finest (and that's saying something), I agree.

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

I wouldn't necessarily say the best vocal performance, but I've always pointed out the vocal melodies on this one are too good... On the Run could be a serious candidate

[@b.rogers6996]

A great Priest album. One of their most underrated albums. Definitely a top 10 Priest album for me.

[@paulm.5979]

I agree in my top 5

[@StrongLIfePower]

Rob's vocals are so creative and unique!!! Rob sounds different and awesome on every song! I love Point of Entry and the POE tour was insane!!! Best Judas Priest show I've seen and I've seen Judas Priest 20 times!!!

[@reclaimerReclaimer]

Impressive, yes. Vocally, it's no short of a masterpiece.

[@franciskocher200]

I agree 100%

[@a.kguitars930]

Didn't Maiden open on that tour?

[@franciskocher200]

@@a.kguitars930 in America,yes

[@StrongLIfePower]

@@a.kguitars930 Maybe for some shows but not the show I saw in Oakland California... a year later I did see Iron Maiden # of the beast tour open up for the Scorpions in Oakland... it was great to see and hear Clive Burr on drums

[@christianhaynes1954]

I have always liked point of entry

[@zachary1966]

Still the best JP album for me. Its more versatile that British Steel, and that is one reason I always liked on this album better. Bought it in summer 1981 and it still rocks and warms my heavy heart...

[@franciskocher200]

Yes.One of their best album.Saw them 1981 on that tour with Def Leppard openening.Amazing and unforgetable.😀👍

[@zachary1966]

@@franciskocher200 Great, lucky you! I saw them live only one time (in Helsinki 2005). Truly enjoyable concert it was!

[@magnuswettermark8293]

Same here..🤘

[@angusiha]

I agree with Martin. I prefer Point of Entry to everything that came after it. Sonically, it maintains some aspects of Hell Bent and British Steel - and I don't care for the over metallic/bright sound on Screaming, Defenders and Painkiller. Sure, I didn't think this way when I first heard this album in the late 80s. I used to like Screaming and Defenders a lot more than Point Of Entry, but I changed my mind in the mid 90s and never changed it back. Yup, the album cover rises a real question mark here: what if you switched British and Entry album covers? Would more people like Entry, would less people like British? And again, it's an easy album to go back to: the only typical-skipping-hit-song is "...Highway" - which is not a skipping song at all. British has 2 of those, Screaming has at least 1. Edit: I've just finished watching the whole video and I must say Andy did some great comments here. His remarks about the guitar solos on the album are spot on. The Billy Gibbons influence is something that usually people don't mention but is quite often throught the 70s material and specially on Entry. Good job, guys.

[@kallknall4686]

It's still a mystery to me why this particular album needed two different covers, one for each continent. The darker one fits the mood of this album just fine but so does the brighter US one in a way, guess it depends on one's point of view while listening maybe they were trying to promote it as a more 'upbeat' thing stateside. Yeehaw. 🤠

[@neuroisis85]

Better than Screaming I agree, but I'll take Painkiller and Defenders over it

[@klauswigsmith]

I can't imagine liking *any* JP album more than Defenders of the Faith! IMHO just as good, if not better, than Master of Puppets. Still, take JPs weakest album (whatever you feel it is) and that's better than 90% of any metal band's best effort.

[@davidclark3474]

@@klauswigsmith My first at 12 years old. Still my favorite record ever.

[@IraSiegel]

Defenders production is pretty bad and ruins the album for me. Good tracks/bad production.

[@ramonace4770]

Love this album, reminds me of the old days, when I was a young metalhead. "Solar Angels" is one of my favourite Priest songs. Saw them on that tour with Def Leppard opening, and they opened the show with this great tune. 8/10

[@briankellogg2751]

Where did you see Def Leppard open for them? In Central California it was Savoy Brown.

[@ramonace4770]

@@briankellogg2751 In Lausanne, Switzerland, second leg of the European tour. In some other European dates the bill was Accept/Def Leppard/Judas Priest.

[@franciskocher200]

@@briankellogg2751 I Saw them in Strasbourg,France.Def Leppard opened for them...Earlier on that tour it was Saxon opening.

[@tookmyjob]

I like Point of Entry for doing what albums like Sin After Sin and HBFL/KM did where they would be a little risky and try something else. I look at Black Sabbath trying more mellow material and it sometimes felt out of place.

[@infernusrex796]

Believe it or not, Point Of Entry is my favorite Priest album, followed closely by Turbo! I prefer them at their most commercial sounding.

[@thecontrarians2438]

Wow! Alright, Not it is!

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

The nostalgic Priest album for me, their first then new release bought and loved. Funny, it's my 2nd favorite after Sad Wings of Destiny which is a kind of schizo ranking and bizarre two so different albums worlds apart musically yet loved almost equally. Sometimes I even dream PoE is #1, but then I wake up. The production sound on Sad Wings is not great but it's outstanding on Point of Entry, close to being their best sounding album certainly of the '80s. Halford shines on this album almost punky at times, it is as mentioned a singer's album. I agree with Martin, the Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith productions aren't fantastic, Screaming has this big warm almost cozy metal sound that I always dug fitting the material quite nicely while Defenders is just plain muddy, it really does need a good clean up. As much as I like the songs on Screaming, it's an album that can't quite make up its mind what it wants to be stylistically it's all over the place as is British Steel but in a much more successful manner. If the tracks on Screaming hadn't been as good as they are individually, I'd say it's an odd bunch of songs thrown together. PoE on the other hand is straight forward no nonsense hard rockin' business, only the song order here is a bit strange. Artists for some reason back then would often have a slow second track, this album is no exception. Had "Don't Go" been third track and "Hot Rockin'" 2nd, maybe the album would be viewed differently tiny things like that can mean a lot and whoever placed these tracks originally got it wrong. Honestly, I don't think there's anything nearly as poppy as "Living After Midnight" or "United" on PoE, it really is a harshly criticized album unfairly so.

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

@@LarryFleetwood8675 I'm fine with the beginning of Point of Entry as I am with just about all if it, but I agree that for other listeners maybe a swap could have done something... Solar Angels and Desert Plains up front would have created more momentum, maybe even On the Run... I wouldn't mind Don't Go somewhere around the middle, it would have made sense... Gotta disagree with Screaming and Defenders though. I like the song variety on those, helps me revisit them more often and keeps them from being one-dimensional... Sin after Sin was like that... I'm also surprised to see so many people seem to have a hard time with the production on Defenders... That's my favorite and I always liked the dark atmosphere, plus the guitar tones favors the music... There are some complex chords that ring out great with that production and the single note chugging never sounded better in my opinion. Drum sound is like a Pyromania stadium rock sound done slightly different... I'm starting to wonder, is the original pressing absurdly different from the remasters? Because the latter is what I'm always listening to, so that would explain a lot... The thing I'm most confused about is that I hear so much chord articulation on that album, muddy albums are usually the opposite... I get it if the tones are a bummer for some, Glenn still had that nice stratty tone for a lot of Point of Entry and KK's tone was like a jet plane on British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance... Priest dropped a lot of their gear in 83 when they picked up Hamers... The new tones worked for me but I wouldn't have minded if they regressed to the classic ones occasionally.

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

​@@gabriellarrubia1006 I hear you, the variety of Priest albums is what makes them so interesting to explore still. I like that none of their albums really have the same sound, despite many of them having the same producer (in the '80s). As for Screaming and Defenders, I love them but I will say that they're also very commercial and there's nothing wrong with that, it's the '80s after all. Underneath the big booming production sound, the material is very melodic and apart from a couple of fast and furious tracks, also quite (dare I say it) poppy in their core melodies. One begins to understand why UK pop producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman must've seen a potential cooperation looming on the horizon, even this early in the '80s. It's simply a different kind of metal, compared to say Iron Maiden and thus one destined to change as time went on.

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

@@LarryFleetwood8675 Someone said somewhere that Priest was appealing more towards the American audience... Whether that's true or not I've seen bootlegs of 80s concerts where they're showing all the U.S. tour dates and it's insane. The sheer amount of shows and the fact they would do smaller towns/cities. It's pretty clear that after years of struggling to make it in the UK they were keen on focusing on the U.S. where they began to find success... Just a theory, but the difference between Maiden here is they were at the point of their career equivalent to Priest's 70s era, where they do basically what they want as there's probably not much hope of a mega hit... Only thing is now there's MTV playing Number of the Beast and the gnarly cover art and lyrical themes attract controversy. So the same attitude earned different results in a different time. Had Maiden released those albums in the 70s there's a chance they might have gone under the radar commercially... Thing is people assume that simplifying something will make it sell more but historically that's only true in different periods. If Saints in Hell was released in 1982 with a video to it and shock tactics were being used, that could have worked for them... There's a right place, right time aspect to it

[@drewrose374]

Andy made awesome points that I agree with. Heading..., I always liked this album! Desert Plains, Solar Angels and Turning Circles are Classics!

[@markblue5375]

Great album , kicks ass Great tour ! Only thing asinine connected to POE is the video to Hot Rockin !

[@reclaimerReclaimer]

Weird how there's three music videos for this album's singles, I don't recall that for either British Steel or Screaming for Vengeance. The record company really pushed this album, all that's missing is a live video from the tour like they finally did for the next album.

[@t.josephcravens4272]

At the time, many of the bands that had established themselves in the previous decades were making a big deal about the transition to the '80s; changing or "updating" their sound to fit the trends (new wave, punk). Away with what was deemed the "self-indulgent" nature of all things progressive in favor of compact arrangements and shorter songs. Some ripples in the press even predicted the death of the guitar in favor of synthesizers. I think PoE was a more experimental recording, where they were perhaps more focused on the effect or impact of the recording/production than the songwriting itself (see Don't Go, Solar Angels, the bridges to Turning Circles and You Say Yes). It's almost psychedelic in spots, with the Pink Floyd-ish cover. These are attributes that a lot of people appreciate in a lot of other bands, but not what people had come to expect from Judas Priest. The simplicity of the songs is actually a strength, much like British Steel, but two albums in a row was probably too much for a band that pretty much created speed metal and progressive metal with their groundbreaking '70s albums. It seems almost conceptual as opposed to a band/ensemble approach, which might be the result of the songs largely being written in the studio. The penultimate dope smoker's JP album. It was also the early days of MTV and the band was experimenting with that as well. Toying with their image and what not. I love the recording. Dave Holland shines on this one. Great sounding drums. Dave knew how to tune and hit his kit. Definitely not a speed metal drummer. In the end, the album was and is judged harshly because it is a Judas Priest album. If it were a Saxon or Accept record, people would be singing it's praises. 7.5

[@d_rocka]

Point of entry is on my top 5 priest records list

[@speedwaytag3321]

Best episode for the year, guys. Super interesting and engaging discussion about an album I was hoping you’d cover at some stage. Really intelligent opinions. Just a pleasure to watch.

[@JohntheMusicNut]

Happy New Year to the Contrarians community! Excellent episode and analysis! I enjoyed the comparison with Point of Entry and other albums from 1981. This is not a top album from that year but Point of Entry has some strong and underrated tracks. Matt and I share a similar opinion. Very good album through "Solar Angels" and a massive dropoff after that. I would rate this a 7 due to the killer opener "Heading Out to the Highway" and the underrated "Turning Circles" and the aforementioned "Solar Angels". Thanks!

[@vincentleroy5661]

It's my 2nd favorite album, behind Turbo

[@67heavyduty]

8/10. "Heading out to the Highway", "Desert Plains", "Solar Angels" stands out to me. Easy accessible album, in Priest cataloque it is mediocore.

[@GiveUsMusic]

Point of Entry is a 6.0 for me, but it’s like a very pleasant 6/10 red wine that I drank on a very warm and fun-loving day. It’s become a goofy, but enjoyable album. I think there are some really catchy vocals, and the drums are pretty damn good. If I was in Mallorca in nice weather, I’d be half-assing things as well.

[@chivesarchives]

Seen them on this tour at the palladium in NYC.. Maiden opened..give it 7.5

[@chrisware6324]

Another great show! I give the commentary 9/9! I just watched an hour of commentary on POE so needless to say I love Priest. I am a big fan of rr to defenders, and turbo even has its moments. I came in at screaming for vengeance. I also had a BASF cassette of a WAAF simulcast from that tour and used that as my guide to priest- with scorching versions of heading out to the highway and desert plains and rob helpfully referencing album titles in the song intros, including “the point of entry albummmah.” I think they were still firing on all cylinders at this point and at the height of their live powers although I did see them on turbo and despite the costumes and tragic hairdo’s they were incredible. I tend to view priest’s catalog to that point as a struggle between the boys following their creative instincts (stained class, sad wings, most of screaming) and yielding to commercial pressure (POE, Turbo, songs like take on the world, united, evening star, etc). Can’t you just hear some CBS exec, “now you boys are building an impressive catalog but let’s face it fellas, it’s daunting and the casual music listener needs a POINT of ENTRY”? Can’t you also picture the boys’ subversive glee actually naming the album Point of Entry? (Get it, Point of Entry. Heh. Heh.) Some commented about the unfinished nature and lack of color of the lyrics on the album. I agree- I mean these are the guys who wrote evil fantasies, burnin up and eat me alive! Someone wisely once also observed that typically even their party all night type songs have a transgressive edge (see living after midnight and delivering the goods) but there is little of that here. You say yes? NO NO NO. That said, heading out to the highway is brilliant and chill-inducing, turning circles is a melancholy understated little masterpiece especially leading into desert plains, which is simple, cinematic and epic. solar angels almost harkens back to stained class, vague, sci-fi and sinister (I think they might have opened shows on that tour with it). Those songs, plus I love the production, I love that it’s mostly rock(a) and roll(a) priest and rob (as always) definitely sells it! Lusty indeed! If stained class, sin after sin, screaming, hell bent and bs are in the 9-10 range , this one is an 8. You’d never guess but I’ve listened to it a million times. Thanks again for the awesome show!

[@Fathersmidmeals]

You know which channel I think is super underrated? Metal Piano Music. The guy spends weeks composing classic metal songs into classical/relaxing piano pieces and he hardly gets any views. I love his arrangement of The Sentinel by Judas Priest. That guy really deserves millions of followers

[@briankellogg2751]

Spring of 1981: Savoy Brown (this tour fronted by Ralph Morman freshly expelled from the Joe Perry Project) opens the show. Most memorable moment was Kim Simmonds playing a killer guitar solo while watching a fight in front of the stage (thankfully I was on the other side of the stage). A bit later the lights go down, smoke fills the stage and Glenn and KK rise from the mist on hydraulic platforms to an extended intro to Solar Angels - that moment alone solidified my 19-year-old brain into loving Solar Angels. I've always liked this album, even before seeing the tour. It reminds me of the softening of the sound of many bands of that era that were "forced" to come up with an album every year (BOC and Nazareth come to mind). The album has its rockers and attempts at a more commercial sound, but the production is top notch. I'd give it a solid 8.5, which is also how I'd rate the next album - it was all down-hill from there... Cheers Guys, love the show.

[@ramonace4770]

Yes! I remember Priest starting with the awesome "Solar angels" in smoke and lightning. In Europe, Def Leppard (Pete Willis was still in the band) opened the show, supporting their masterpiece "High'n'dry". Great memories, one of the best shows I've ever seen.

[@guillaumechabason3165]

My first and favorite Priest album since I bought it when it came out Superb production Probably not their best but I always choose it when I haven't listened to JP for a long time I also love the european album cover

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

In a strange way, maybe their most atmospheric album cover.

[@franciskocher200]

The American cover is awful...

[@freaky_j2207]

On The Run is one of Halford best vocal performances and it never gets acknowledged.

[@kallknall4686]

All over this album, technically speaking he's pretty much out of this world in a league all by himself.

[@howie5th]

Turning Circles is my favorite deep cut on this album. I definitely don't hate Point of Entry. I give it a 6.5.

[@zachary1966]

Yeah, it is a great song! Even though its kind of softer side of album, it has that dark, moody atmosphere with that magnificent scream by Halford!

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

That's one of the last times Glenn had a stratty tone on a song... I like their tones on following records but they lost a little something for the bluesy parts

[@adamwarlock3530]

Jamie is completely clueless. People like that Jamie guy just look for note density. Have no clue to feel. Point of Entry is one of my favorites of theirs. It's so fresh and different from all their other stuff. Each song sounds different. They don't have to over complicate the song arrangements. They just come up with a hook and go with it. Makes them more enjoyable and memorable. I would give it a 9/10

[@TheTVisions]

They're all excellent songs in my opinion and very well written or composed, I should say. You have to be talented musicians and understand the (lost?) art of good songwriting, in order to write good melodies like these this is classic songwriting like we hardly hear it anymore.

[@simonharding3109]

My first metal gig. ..priest at Sophia gardens cardiff November 81! Not a lot of people there but my introduction to metal gigs.tipton/downing came up on rising platforms to 'solar angels'...support band was accept!!!

[@franciskocher200]

My first concert.Priest at hall Rhenus Strasbourg,France november 1981.Not a lot of people there but Amazing show..Def Leppard was opening.

[@Jirass]

I would give Point of Entry an 8 out of 10. I actually like all of the songs on the album but they are not exactly what I hope for from Priest. A lot of what would be considered pop metal, I guess. Still I enjoy the album and don't have an urge to press skip on anything.

[@godetonter4764]

Got to love the Hot Rockin video

[@MrToband]

I didn't like it back then but it's not that bad now.

[@shadesofgreyconstruction4849]

Point of entry is my favorite priest release ,I've had it on my c.d. player in garage for over 20 yrs still in rotation,..l never get tired of it ,all the way thru l give it a 10..l.m.o. love it !

[@janerikmellesdal3868]

I give it a 6.5. British steel is a 9.5 for me. All in all i like It, but a bit tame soundwise☺

[@howie5th]

My top 3 favorite Priest albums: 1. Stained Class 2. Sad Wings of Destiny 3. British Steel

[@brandonbelt5055]

8/10. Very good. The only album that happened after it that I would rank higher is Screaming for Vengeance. So yeah, higher than Defenders (bad production), Painkiller (childish, rote writing) and Firepower (kind of samey, desktop metal,).

[@teamdata]

2nd concert I ever saw with Whitesnake and Iron Maiden being the opening acts. I loved the concert. The album is alright with some good tracks.

[@briankellogg2751]

That must have been quite the show! Whitesnake was still half of Deep Purple at that time. - Where was that?

[@teamdata]

@@briankellogg2751 Pittsburgh. The biggest thing I remember is the guitarist for Whitesnake. His name was Mickey Moody and he played his "Instrument of the Devil"

[@747panos]

My favorite Priest album after their first three . Way better than everything that came after . .

[@jerryattwooll4864]

Always felt POE gets a bit overlooked as it's sandwiched between 2 of the band's most celebrated albums. Yes there are some less than stellar tracks here, but any album with Desert Plains, Don't Go, Hot Rockin', Heading Out To The Highway, Solar Angels can't be a bad album. Sonically too it's very sound to my ears.

[@reclaimerReclaimer]

Good points, I'd include Turning Circles as well myself. With top songs like that, no way is this a bad album.

[@MetalMan73100]

Point Of Entry is a 4 out of 10 album for me. I like maybe 3 1/2 songs on it - opening track Heading Out To The Highway, Desert Plains, Solar Angels, and Hot Rockin´ is, I guess, OK but also somewhat dumbed down compared to their 1970s output. Great topic, guys!

[@TheTVisions]

Maybe three lesser songs on this album (You Say Yes, Troubleshooter and All the Way) but that's not a bad count for an album of ten songs, that leaves seven very good ones and that's more than enough to consider it anything but a failure. Even those so-so tracks I like, it's just not a typical JP album but actually a pretty decent hard rock album from a banner year in music, probably the closest they ever got to sounding truly mainstream until Turbo.

[@if6turnedouttobe9]

Turning Circles...U Say Yes and Don't Go are the Gems...

[@theclassicrockjunkie7353]

I really enjoy Point Of Entry and would give it 8 out of 10 !

[@billytrance6893]

I love this album. For one thing, it's more "raw" in it's recording. It was recorded as a band (everything sounds more equal in the mix without the guitars being pushed way up above the other instruments; it's more equally integrated musically), there doesn't sound like there is any studio "tricks" or enhancements, again it's more "raw" sounding. Just 1-year later everything changed for JP, it's just great to have captured them in this way. Great review!

[@JCStorm76]

Read Rob Halfords book. This is his least favourite JP album but he loves Nostradamus. Give me Point Of Entry over that rubbish any day. I’ve always liked it, I like every song even Don’t Go which for some reason a lot of people don’t like. It just sounds like a hit to me. 8/10 for me, this and Ram It Down are their most underrated albums. I don’t get the hate for either album. I also don’t think it sounds much like KISS, more like AC/DC

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

I get the AC/DC vibe as well... Makes it even more underrated to me because I think it could hold its own against most of the 80s AC/DC records except maybe Back in Black... This sits quite nicely with Flick of the Switch and For Those About to Rock, and is definitely better than the next two.

[@JCStorm76]

@@gabriellarrubia1006 I never really liked FTATR a lot , it’s just average I feel. Flick Of The Switch is great

[@Hoppen100]

What a fun episode. Loved the discussion and the variety of everyone’s input! Keep ‘em coming!

[@metalguru67]

I think its a good album that is a transitional album for Judas Priest, its easy to pick it apart in hindsight but by 1981 standards it was a pretty forward thinking album. Its nowhere near the best but better than its reputation would suggest

[@RockDaydreamNation]

Great analysis Christian! Well done..

[@SadWings76]

Thank you! :)

[@inmyhouse11]

I bought this when it first came out and I was a little let down after British Steel. I have definitely got a better appreciation for it years later. Love Desert Plains and one of my fav Priest songs

[@Carlos-xz3vi]

This album contains some of my favorite Judas Priest song, but by far my favorites are “Turning circles” followed closely by “Desert plains”.

[@drewrose374]

7 out of 10 for me

[@sdavis6806]

Absolutely love Point of Entry in my top 3 for Priest, although the video for hot rockin is terrible haha, Solar Angel's, desert plains, so good, even Don't Go is great, has anyone ever noticed All The Way sounds like a Kiss tune, or could've been a Kiss tune

[@FatherStack]

It's an album I really like and grows on me with every listen. I'd give it a 7.5/10. It is very front heavy, but even the tracks I don't enjoy as much are pretty decent. I really don't like You Say Yes, but the breakdown in the middle is fantastic. I prefer it to Defenders of the Faith. There are much worse albums out there.

[@srednuasrmit]

Back in 81 I actually traded Point of Entry for the B-52’s 79 debut album. Not the worst trade but showed how disappointed I was with it compared to their earlier albums.

[@ykmgeedee]

Hot Rockin' Lobster!

[@phillipwilson6205]

As a life long Priest fan, (I am now 57), I found this really interesting and agree with most of the views and would probably give it a 5 out of 10. I am probably one of the few Priest fans who hardly plays British Steel, Defenders or Ram it Down. I play Point of Entry more than Ram it Down and Defenders and in relation to British Steel I only really play The Rage and Steeler, especially the live versions.

[@btfvinylmagic1180]

I like it more than British steel nowadays. British steel was very simple, pasic. Poin of entry is more interesting as far guitar parts are concerned. Heading out to the highway and Desert plains are two masterpieces, Fantastic recording.

[@husq48]

Honestly, 7, but I love it!

[@irishwolf8236]

Always liked it, to this day 8

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

I think there are several good things to be said about Point of Entry. It's riffy and the production/tone choices favor what goes on musically. All the vocal melodies are very well composed and despite a general lack of flash the guitars still have standout moments, particularly due to intelligent phrasing... I find myself revisiting this one constantly, it sounds like a perfectly good road album and doesn't wear you down... There's almost an innocence to it where I imagine these are songs written by guys on spring break rather than an actual attempt to create mega hits. I think the relentless metal attributes of other releases obscure this album a bit unfairly, because from a hard rock perspective I think Point of Entry could hold its own against against any AC/DC album in the 80s, so it's really about the standards they set... I can sort of see the "Roadhouse band" element mentioned here. My favorite song from Killing Machine is Delivering the Goods and it kind of has the same beefy riff quality you hear in Point of Entry. Similar thing with Burnin Up, Evil Fantasies, Green Manalishi etc. In a way, this record seems to be accessible in that sort of way, with a certain swing rather than stadium rock antics. So I wouldn't be surprised if classic rock fans appreciate this record a little more.

[@rocklives8251]

I definitely appreciate the album more now than when it came out. But in a catalog of so many great albums, I put it in the bottom third. I would love to hear a discussion on Angel of Retribution, love that album. I hate ram it down.

[@SuperStrik9]

I give Point Of Entry a 7/10. Heading Out To The Highway and Desert Plains are my favorite songs from the album. Point Of Entry gets overlooked for pretty obvious reasons as it's sandwiched between two big selling classics.

[@georgelamie7001]

I give it a 5. Solar Angels and Desert Plains are good. Highway and Hot are decent. The rest of it is incredibly bland.

[@sadekx5251]

I see Martin and Jamie on an episode I click 😁

[@arturoalmazan5262]

it's an underrated album. I don't get all the hate it gets. Turbo for me signaled the end of the classic priest metal sound. it's a bad made rock album. point of entry has some underrated Jams. desert plains ; solar angels are classic

[@jonashallberg2832]

I agree first Side 5/5 Second Side 3,5/5

[@jamesarduini2688]

Rapid Fire, Metal Gods, The Rage, Grinder, Steeler.............I LOVED British Steel when it came out and I thought it was an awesome next evolutionary step after the previous 2 albums which I also loved. To call it the "Kiss album" of that time frame is a monumental insult, IMO, guys.

[@jimmyagates]

Personally, I love tracks like All The Way and You Say Yes because they are largely different than anything Priest had done up to that point for better or for worse. The track I really don't like is Turning Circles. I'd give the album 8/10

[@adamwarlock3530]

I was at this show. It was during the Point of Entry tour kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKHLiaWQjrx3nrc I thought the video for "Don't go" was cool kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYOyh4uca8uNZrc A cover band I was in in 1983 did it and everyone who saw us playing it really got into it.

[@EdwardBox]

I would give it 8/10. It was the first JP album I bought. I think side 2 is problematic but it has great production and hooks but JP did shoot themselves in the foot a bit with this one. I think it would benefit from a different running order so side 2 was better.

[@thirdrailelectrocution]

I would give it 3 out of 10 for the 3 songs I like Hot Rockin', Heading Out To The Highway and Desert Plains.

[@doubled7804]

First off...this was a fantastic discussion ...everyone had such great points but...this is a 3 out of 10 for sure.

[@thomasbonnett4800]

I would still gladly go “hot rockin” in 2024.

[@chaddunn9621]

Love this album. I don't understand why a lot of fans don't like it. I think that the production is fine. I'll give it 8 out of 10. Now would I recommend the to someone that never heard of of Priest before no. Sin After Sin or Stained Glass would be recommend them. Point Of Entry is one I listen to a little bit more than others

[@hockeyeverything4339]

Its a great album.

[@markhuntington9149]

Think I’ve always given it a six because I rate three of the songs very high, but there is some real shit there. I’ll stay with 6 out of ten, good but no where near great

[@michaelfoulker5137]

I myself find if you lived through there evalutions you appreciate the early stuff that the fans that came in after vengeance don't seem to get. I myself enjoyed all the albums

[@stevewhiteside4525]

This might be a bit off the wall and slightly off topic, but then this is the contrarians. I think Queen had a massive detrimental effect on the heavy metal that came later. I love a lot of what they did, but with their deliberate mission of turning heavy metal into pop for the masses they produced those dreadful toe curling pop-metal-karaoke songs like We are the champions and We will rock you and a lot of the metal bands who made albums in their wake were looking for those mindless chants. Much as I hate that style of song, it has to be said that Queen did it better and I just don't know why the metal bands tried to emulate it. Anthems and catchy songs don't have to be like that.

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

For the Stadium Rock thing, sure... Some of the Killing Machine and British Steel songs even try to capture that horribly. I wouldn't hold Queen completely responsible though, all those records had better deep cuts than singles and a lot of the detrimental effect also came from disco, new wave, punk etc. So many prog bands went new wave-ish in the 80s and Kiss was probably just as bad with the pop for the masses thing. There was lots of blame to go around...

[@sydneyhalliwell2513]

Before I even get into watching the video. I’m just gonna say. Hated this album when I first heard it. Over the years it really grew on me and I really appreciated the album now

[@lance98541]

I started listening to Priest in 1976 but when Point Of Entry came out it was the first album from them, I just didn't like at all. I like it more now but not by much. 3/10.

[@jamesmason1347]

Their absolute best album

[@RanlamSeddit]

Going to listen to Point of Entry in its entirety and then I'll be back ...

[@Wolfdog65]

I don’t even need to watch the episode . Point of Entry is an awesome album

[@jimilove7773]

Their last great album. Save some tracks on screaming.

[@prosperoeaton8201]

For me, Point of Entry ranks pretty low. I'd give it a 5 overall. Desert Plains is a ten, Heading Out to the Highway is a nine, and Turning Circles, Solar Angels, and Don't Go are sixes or sevens. Everything else feels like filler to me. I enjoyed hearing the range of opinions from the group today.

[@bucknaked311]

As a true Priest fan for me there isn’t a bad second or note from the debut album to Defenders. Everything after those first albums doesn’t compare no matter how smart ur trying to sound.

[@megaduck7965]

It’s good it’s the bottom end of my favourites but it’s nowhere near demolition or Nostradamus

[@sspbrazil]

I’m more aligned with Jamie, though he’s much more of a fan of Judas Priest than me, I never understood the draw to this band and I’ve never really liked anything by them.

[@rickrobb6546]

Judas Priest......................... Rules

[@the-vinyl-dreamscape5084]

Great album. A few weak song but it’s better than British Steel IMO.

[@Troy.Ritter]

6/10 for me. Definitely not bad, but probably one of their worst with Halford.

[@kevinkaple3615]

I would give it a 6 ….it’s not bad but not great

[@lateramae]

The singles are what prevent me from listening to 'Point of Entry' because I hate "Hot Rockin'" and "Heading Out to the Highway." Like Jamie said, "Hot Rockin'" is corny and the music video is bizarre. When I listen to an album, I don't want to skip any tracks because that takes away the listening experience. When listening to an album, if I hear a song I don't like, it ruins the whole experience for me because my mind will be stuck on that bad song. That's why I never got into 'Hell Bent for Leather.' I tried like two/three times getting into that album, but every time "Evening Star" came on, I was so done with it!

[@gabriellarrubia1006]

I call it amusement park metal... Take on the World, United, Parental Guidance and Rock You Around the World all had the same problem Evening Star had... Albums will inevitably have one or two filler tracks but they were really pushing it with those... Point of Entry doesn't lose me with these tracks but they probably could have pushed Desert Plains or Solar Angels instead and it would have sold just as well...

[@mikem.7921]

Compared to earlier albums this was a major let down to me

[@Gershom.]

Not really a Contrarians episode, is it?

[@elbib2446]

p.o.e was the album that lost me,and a lot of british hm freaks,sounded made for america.ac/dc ish dumbed down riffs for stadiums.ac/dc do that great,love bon scott era,but not priest.sounded lame,lacked firepower,couple of decent tunes,but overall a pretty boring album.i actually think priest started to go down hill around killing machine,which i love,but the stadium anthems like take on the world,united didnt fit priest,sounded like second rate we will rock you by queen.dont even rate british steel that much either,though it has great moments.sad wings to stained class period for me,proper uk metal,and priest still had that mystique then