All it takes to realize this is a single listen to the opening title track, a incredibly fast and heavy mauler that destroys everything in its path. Halford unleashes his patented screamer voice with such ferocious power that you almost need a hazmat suit to withstand the power it produces. It is a true statement, telling that Rob goes into the 21st century a reborn man that is back with full force, bringing metal to the world.
The album in itself is filled with personal stories and references that fans will surely adore, and they are all accompanied with kick ass music. "Made In Hell" tells both the history of metal and Rob's musical journey, and while some of the lyrics are kind of corny (Unleashed in downtown Tokyo, blew Godzilla away?!), it is still a great tune. We also get to hear about the sad wings of destiny, an obvious reference to the Judas Priest album with the same name, in the bonus track "Sad Wings". The most familiar part about "Resurrection" though is the music, which can be best described as classic Judas Priest from the "Screaming For Vengeance" era and forward, but more modern and not as riff driven.
Yeah, it is Halford that runs the show. He delivers punch after punch, showing an impressive versatility that a lot of vocalists out there would love to master, but only a few can. This diversity might be best displayed in "Silent Screams", where Rob mixes emotional, ballad like tones, but when the song changes to a more furious tempo, Rob takes out his heavier side, a grittier tone that fits so well with the change. It takes talent to handle it all, and he certainly has it.
Rob is not the only talented vocalist on this record though, because in "The One You Love To Hate", he gets a visit from Bruce Dickinson, a man who at the time had been away from Iron Maiden for some time, but returned the year before. While the song is one of the more stale ones in the album, it gets so much better when these two British legends create an awesome duet. A metal fan's wet dream come true.
The quality overall is just so god damn high, very few fillers are in this album, even with the remastered version that contains an additional 4 songs. Almost all of the songs single handedly beats anything that Halford made during the 90's (except the material on "Painkiller" of course"), all because of one simple thing. It is heavy metal at its purest form. No weird industrial vibes, no crazy experiments, just plain and simple kick ass metal. Sure, it is far from the most unique music we have ever heard, but that does not really matter when the music is good, and it is really good. While it technically is not a true comeback, it is a return to form for Halford, going back to the ideals he left behind almost a decade earlier, and delivering a album fit for a Metal God. All hail the Halford!
Songs worthy of recognition: Resurrection, Silent Screams, The One You Love To Hate, Slow Down
Rating: 8/10 Saviours
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