On Tuesday, two of the most important albums in my development as a metal fan turned 35 years old. Truth be told, I had no idea they shared the same release date back in the day—and let’s be real: even if that wasn’t the case and only one of these things had its birthday this week, I’d probably have still used this week’s #tbt to celebrate—but my finding that out immediately solidified this week’s Thursday content. And no, I don’t particularly care that they didn’t turn 35 on Thursday.

So then…two songs to look back on this week—one from each album. Let’s jump into it, shall we?

Iron Maiden – “Phantom of the Opera”

Picking this song to represent Iron Maiden wasn’t quite the foregone conclusion you might expect it to be. Yes, from a purely objective standpoint, it’s probably the most important song on the album—but if you’re asking for a “favorite?” Well, hell…that changes constantly. Sometimes it’s the haunting “Remember Tomorrow.” When I stumble across old Live After Death footage and catch the extended version of “Running Free,” that temporarily takes the spot. Hell, the song I listen to the most on this thing—the edgy, punk-influenced “Sanctuary”—wasn’t even on the original pressing of the album. In the end, though, it’s hard not to come back to “Phantom.” The frenetic pacing, intricate riff-writing and terrific, harmonized bridge still just sound so vital—even three and a half decades later.

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Judas Priest – “Metal Gods”

I first came across British Steel in early high school—a bit of a weird time for me, admittedly. It was my peak “metal discovery” phase, so naturally, I’d bought a leather jacket and tried, unsuccessfully, to grow my hair out. (No, it didn’t seem at all weird to me to be doing this in 2003.) I tried so hard to get my friends into metal…SO hard, you guys. More often than not, the album I’d use to try and convert them was this one, and more often than not, “Metal Gods” was my go-to in that venture. There’s a kind of sinister quality about it that I still find appealing to this day. So yeah, the hits like “Breaking the Law” or “Living After Midnight” might be more memorable, and others like “You Don’t Have to be Old to be Wise” might get you more deep-cut points, but I’ll always come back to this one.

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Anyway, that’ll do it. Happy belated birthday, Iron Maiden and British Steel. Check back later for more!

Keep it heavy,

-Dan

Live. Love. Plow. Horns Up.