BATTLE CRY [Blu-ray]

Never ones to back down from a good fight, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal icons return to the (live) killing fields with Battle Cry, a concert CD/DVD/Blu-ray recorded during their 2014 Redeemer of Souls tour. ROS was a return to form for the group, eschewing the slick production of some of their late-period recordings in favor of a set of songs that wouldn't have sounded out of place on 1976's Sad Wings of Destiny. It was also their first outing not to include K.K. Downing, and Battle Cry is the first Priest concert album not to feature the founding guitarist. It's hardly a deal-breaker though, as Richie Faulkner has settled into the role nicely, and his interplay with the more seasoned Glenn Tipton is both fluid and respectable, with the pair delivering the kind of effortless yet still freewheeling guitar-monies that have come to define the group over the last 47 years. Featuring 15 songs from their August 1, 2015 performance at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, Battle Cry offers up a suitable mix of fan favorites and new material, including "Dragonaut," "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," "Beyond the Realms of Death," and "Hell Bent for Leather." Rob Halford's pipes, while not nearly as elastic as days passed, are still impressive, and the band tears into the set, specifically the newer tunes, with workmanlike vigor, but there's not a ton of fun to be had here for the casual fan. Listeners looking for an audio snapshot of the group at its stage peak would be much better off with 1979's far superior Unleashed in the East. The Blu-ray edition of Battle Cry includes three bonus cuts that were taken from the band's December 10, 2015, show at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. [Battle Cry was released on Blu-Ray with six bonus tracks.] ~ James Christopher Monger

• Format: Blu-ray
• Genre: Rock