"Beyond the Realms of Death" is a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. ...

by English heavy metal band

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

from their 1978 album ''

Stained Class ''Stained Class'' is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 10 February 1978 by Columbia Records. It is the first of three Judas Priest albums to feature drummer Les Binks, as well as the first to feature t ...

''. Vocalist

Rob Halford Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has ...

's performance is considered one of his finest ever, and the guitar work is noted as well, especially the solos. Many reviewers have called it one of the best songs on the album. The song is considered a Judas Priest classic, with versions of the song appearing on the albums '' Priest, Live and Rare'', '' '98 Live Meltdown'', '' Live in London'', '' A Touch of Evil: Live'', '' Live Insurrection'' and many of the group's compilation albums. Drummer Les Binks has his only songwriting credit with the band for the song's main riff.

Composition

The song starts out as a slow and light ballad until the chorus, where the song erupts into heavy riffs. The song then turns light once again until the next chorus, and the following bridge section. The first guitar solo is then played by

Glenn Tipton Glenn Raymond Tipton (born 25 October 1947) is an English guitarist. Often noted for his complex playing style and classically influenced solos, he is best known as one of the lead guitarists for heavy metal band Judas Priest. Early life and ...

. Then the song turns light once again for the next verses, which is followed by the heavy chorus/bridge section once again and the second guitar solo played by

K. K. Downing Kenneth Keith Downing Jr. (born 27 October 1951) is an English guitarist and a former member of the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Early life and career Downing was born in West Bromwich, West Midlands. In the late 1960s, he developed a pa ...

. This is followed by the final heavy riffs and the epic final scream of Rob Halford. The song describes a man who suffers from depression and enters into a pseudo-catatonic state, which gives the outward appearance of a comatose state, in that it essentially renders the body physically immobile whilst leaving inner thought processes intact in an almost 'locked-in' fashion. He eventually dies, possibly by his own hand due to the state he was essentially locked in, so he is once more released from the chains of life. Furthermore, other lines in the song suggest an anti-suicidal message. The song was mentioned in a 1990 trial in which the parents of two teens who had committed suicide after listening to ''Stained Class'' alleged that subliminal messages encouraging suicide had been hidden in another song on the album. In a telephone interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' at the time, Halford confirmed that the song carries an anti-suicidal message, discussing how people suffering from depression withdraw from society and refuse to communicate.

Covers

Blind Guardian Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of the song for their album '' A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal Vol. II''.

Personnel

– vocals *

– guitars *

Ian Hill Ian Frank Hill (born 20 January 1951) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and the sole continuous member for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Biography Hill learned how to play the double bass from his father, a bass player ...

– bass * Les Binks – drums

References

{{authority control 1977 songs Heavy metal ballads Judas Priest songs Songs about suicide Songs written by Rob Halford