S.O.D. "Victim of Changes" by Judas Priest

6/17/2015     Just a S.O.D. note before we get started: The music videos I find are usually live, so as disappointing and un-educating as it may be, you can skip to the end if you wish.  However, if ever you find yourself in a trivia game at a watering hole or elsewhere and you can't answer that music question, it's all on you.  NOW, back to the Knowledge!!  

     A tune that is said to have changed the course of heavy-metal history with soft and heavy parts blended together boasting a wonderment of musicianship.  And let's not forget Rob Halford's operatic trained voice.  Judas Priest founder and original front man Al Atkins co-wrote the 1976 tune with current vocalist Rob Halford and astounding guitar duo Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing.  It is actually a combination of two Judas Priest songs; "Whiskey Woman" by Atkins and "Red Light Lady" by Halford.  A few notable covers have been done by Atkins himself, German power metal band Gamma Ray, San Francisco thrash band Forbidden, Cleveland metal band Mushroom Head and power death metal group Judas Cradle.  

     Martin Popoff ranked "Victim of Changes" at number 17 on his list of the 500 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time.  Popoff is a Canadian born music critic and journalist who exclusively covers the heavy-metal genre and dates back to the time of Iron Butterfly and Led Zeppelin.  

     Judas Priest is an English heavy-metal band in their 45th year of rocking and has sold more than 45 million albums to date.  Their album "Screaming for Vengeance" has been their best-selling work and 1980 album British Steel is said to have defined heavy-metal for an entire generation.  Judas Priest is ranked by MTV as the 2nd greatest metal band of all time.