A sell-out, must be unluckily concluded, is what Turbo was indeed. There is so much particularly wrong with the album I don’t know where to start. The synths are way overdone, which has the effect of ruining the guitar sound, instead of adding extra flavour. What Iron Maiden pulled off excellently in the same year with Somewhere in Time, Judas Priest messed up utterly. The production isn’t any good either. The overall sound is way too polished, sounding very poppy, and Halford’s vocals are too distant. Turbo’s worst flaw, however, is the over-commercialism. The band went so far in this that they have trouble sounding like themselves. Think Point of Entry, but then far worse. All songs are built up by the very simple verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure, having an average solo in between. This structure could work, of course, as it has done for Priest before, but many of the lyrics and choruses (e.g. Locked In, Rock You All Around the World) are so awful and generic it is almost unbearable to listen to them. By just taking a look at the song titles, you know this is a Priest album that you are impossible to take seriously (Hot for Love, anyone"), never mind enjoy.
As for the songs themselves, they mostly sound the same. Opener Turbo Lover is one of the song that comes close to enjoyable, having well-done synth work, but then again has also average lyrics and is repetitive. Out in the Cold stands out most, aspiring to be an epic, but not quite able to do so. A relaxed listen, apart from an again commercial approach. Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days sounds very much like an AC/DC rip-off, especially in the way the chorus is presented (including the trademark backing vocals), and Halford sounds half like Brian Johnson at times. Locked In has the potentially most interesting instrumental work, but that is unfortunately ruined by the overdone synths. And if you had high hopes for a nice closer, forget it. Reckless is the song we’ve heard 8 times before on the album, and does no effort on closing off things on a high note.
Redeeming factors are not easy to find, but there are a few. Firstly, the intros are actually quite nicely done, but then again, are more a false hope for a great song than anything else. Secondly, the material found on Turbo will do great live. The versions found of Priest…Live! of these songs sound better than their studio counterparts. As for the album itself though, this is not really an advantage.
Judas Priest’s dive into glam metal and arena rock just turns out to be the worst misstep of their career. Making the most generic, boring, and commercial album in their now 40 years of existence, Turbo is just about as bad as it gets. Except for the most fanatic of fan boys and collectionists, nobody will really like to acquire this. An awful album truly, that should be avoided at all costs.
Tracklist for Turbo:
1. Turbo Lover
2. Locked In
3. Private Property
4. Parental Guidance
5. Rock You All Around the World
6. Out in the Cold
7. Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days
8. Hot for Love
9. Reckless
As for the songs themselves, they mostly sound the same. Opener Turbo Lover is one of the song that comes close to enjoyable, having well-done synth work, but then again has also average lyrics and is repetitive. Out in the Cold stands out most, aspiring to be an epic, but not quite able to do so. A relaxed listen, apart from an again commercial approach. Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days sounds very much like an AC/DC rip-off, especially in the way the chorus is presented (including the trademark backing vocals), and Halford sounds half like Brian Johnson at times. Locked In has the potentially most interesting instrumental work, but that is unfortunately ruined by the overdone synths. And if you had high hopes for a nice closer, forget it. Reckless is the song we’ve heard 8 times before on the album, and does no effort on closing off things on a high note.
Redeeming factors are not easy to find, but there are a few. Firstly, the intros are actually quite nicely done, but then again, are more a false hope for a great song than anything else. Secondly, the material found on Turbo will do great live. The versions found of Priest…Live! of these songs sound better than their studio counterparts. As for the album itself though, this is not really an advantage.
Judas Priest’s dive into glam metal and arena rock just turns out to be the worst misstep of their career. Making the most generic, boring, and commercial album in their now 40 years of existence, Turbo is just about as bad as it gets. Except for the most fanatic of fan boys and collectionists, nobody will really like to acquire this. An awful album truly, that should be avoided at all costs.
Tracklist for Turbo:
1. Turbo Lover
2. Locked In
3. Private Property
4. Parental Guidance
5. Rock You All Around the World
6. Out in the Cold
7. Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days
8. Hot for Love
9. Reckless