Judas Priest
Hell Bent For Leather

January 2010
Released: 2010, Audio Fidelity
Rating: 5.0/5
Reviewer: Celtic Bob

Audio Fidelity is somewhat of a speciality label that releases high quality versions of classic albums. Some may even consider them to be an audiophile label. Whichever label you choose to use you will get the same result, an amazing product that is true to the original master recording and not remixed, bass boosted, etc in any way. The latest offering from Audio Fidelity is HELL BENT FOR LEATHER, the classic Priest title that every one of us knows and enjoys.



Classic Priest has never sounded so good on CD before. The ‘Remaster’ from a few years back under the title KILLING MACHINE may be louder and more bass heavy but the dynamics were lost. It is on this release that we finally hear the album as it was originally intended. It is as though a breath of life was put back into the album. Even on my modest set-up a side by side comparison to KILLING MACHINE you can hear the difference. Halford’s vocal’s are clearer and the drums and cymbal’s benefit greatly. You can actually hear the cymbal’s fade out naturally. This is how A ‘Remaster’ should sound.



With recent releases by Alice Cooper and now with this Judas Priest title we can only hope that their success will entice Audio Fidelity to release more Classic Metal in 2010 and beyond. They did a remarkable job on HELL BENT FOR LEATHER. An excellent start to the New Year.