Painkiller (Judas Priest album)

Painkiller is the twelfth studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in September 1990. It is the last Judas Priest album to feature lead singer Rob Halford until his return for the 2005 album Angel of Retribution and the first to feature drummer Scott Travis.

Recording

Painkiller is the first Judas Priest album to feature drummer Scott Travis, who replaced long-time drummer Dave Holland in 1989. Travis was previously a member of Los Angeles band Racer X. The album was recorded at Miraval Studios, Brignoles, France in early 1990 and mixed at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, the Netherlands later that year.

In 1989, Judas Priest had just come off of two of their less successful albums with Turbo, and Ram It Down, both of which attempted to incorporate synthesizers and glam metal elements. The band was then widely dismissed as passe and unable to compete with the younger generation of metal groups such as Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer and Testament. In response, Judas Priest adopted a more contemporary speed metal sound on Painkiller. The effort paid off, with the album becoming one of the band's most successful efforts, and its songs becoming staples of their live setlist.

The Painkiller (play)

The Painkiller is a play by Sean Foley, adapted from Francis Veber's Le Contrat.

Foley's adaptation received its world premiere at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, on 29 September 2011. The production starred Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon, and was directed by Foley.

References