My parents wanted to make sure they raised a nice, well-adjusted child. And so they decided that I was forbidden from consuming certain media. That includes violent and graphic video games (as violent as they got back then, anyway), movies, and tv shows. So while my friends were having pop and chips parties and watching Terminator or The Simpsons or playing Mortal Kombat, I stayed at home eating fig newtons and reading about dinosaurs and astronomy. Or Mad Magazine.

Why I was allowed to read Mad but not watch The Simpsons, I’ll never understand.

When I was somewhere around 12 years old, my childhood best friend brought over a VHS tape he’d made himself. Being the badasses we were, we sat down and watched some of our favourite late-night MTV cartoons: The Head, The Maxx, Aeon Flux, and of course, Beavis and Butthead.

I had seen Beavis and Butthead many times before then, and always thought it was funny. But this time it was different. The pair watched a handful of music videos, including a tune by Army of Lovers which I had forgotten about until Ghost released their covers EP last fall.

But the most important tune they watched was Judas Priest’s Breaking the Law. Yeah it’s a stupid video, but the song knocked me on my ass.

Until then, my only exposure with heavy metal was Cannibal Corpse’s cameo in Ace Ventura. And naturally, Cannibal Corpse scared the single-digit aged hell out of me. But Judas Priest, that was something different.

The next day, my mom and I went to a record store and I picked up a copy of British Steel. I’ve still got it in my collection today.

Again, why could I listen to Judas Priest and not watch The Simpsons?

From there, I explored Priest’s entire discography, and discovered that as far as Judas Priest goes, Breaking the Law was a pretty middle-of-the-road tune. I collected their entire discography, and found something to like just about everywhere. From the poppiest of their pop anthems to the fastest and heaviest tunes, I love Priest’s entire career.

Which brings me to Redeemer of Souls, Judas Priest’s seventeenth full length studio album. After such a long career, many artists lose their edge. After all, styles change and artists risk getting stranded in the past if they stick slavishly to one formula.

The anthemic, bombastic hits like Breaking the Law, Freewheel Burning, and You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, great as they are, existed in a specific time and place which just isn’t popular anymore. To write more tunes like that would be an anachronism.

Looking back through their lengthy catalog, how many of their albums would sound fresh and relevant if released today?

None of them, of course, but the album that comes closest is Painkiller. Balls to the wall heavy metal will always have an audience, and Painkiller is undoubtedly Priest’s heaviest album.

And it’s seemingly with this in mind that Priest has written music for their 21st century incarnation.

They gave it a shot on Angel of Retribution, and it fell flat. In fact, Angel of Retribution may be the worst album they recorded with Rob Halford at the helm, with very little to offer other than the name Judas Priest.

Nostradamus was an interesting album, but as a double album it may have been too ambitious for a band recovering from such a stinker. Still, even though I hated it the first time through, I eventually found something to like, if not love.

But Redeemer of Souls is the most energetic, heaviest album the band has done in years. The band was originally set to disband after their last tour, but the addition of new guitarist Ritchie Faulkner after original guitarist KK Downing stepped away gave the band a new lease on life, a new energy, and a new spirit. While it’s sad to see KK go after so many years, it’s hard to argue with the results.

The album’s heaviest moments, Dragonaut, Metalizer, and Sword of Damocles, give even Painkiller a run for its money. Meanwhile, Cold Blooded evokes the Screaming For Vengeance-era heavy/mellow blend which they pulled off so well on the track Bloodstone.

And even though the classic songwriting team of Halford/Tipton/Downing is now broken, Halford/Tipton/Faulkner seems to be up to the task. The riffs are unmistakeably classic heavy metal, and the solos are as fast and killer as ever, but it also sounds as modern as possible for a group in their fifth decade of existence.

When Priest announced their 2012 Epitaph tour would be their last, I was sad to see them go but believed it was for the best. The band had had a good run, and I’d rather see them bow out gracefully than hear another Angel of Retribution. But if Redeemer of Souls is any indication, it’s good to have Priest back.

Redeemer of Souls hit shelves on July 8th (just over a week before my birthday!)