"Painkiller" is a song 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. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...

, released in 1990; it was later released as a single on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. It is off the band's twelfth album of the same name as the opening track''.'' The lyrics tell the story of the Painkiller, the character featured on the cover of the album, who is a cyborg superhero who saves mankind from destruction. "Painkiller" has become one of Judas Priest's most popular songs.

Composition

The drum intro was composed by Scott Travis in the studio initially just as a warm-up routine while the engineers were testing the drum microphones. Guitarist

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 the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Judas P ...

said that the "Painkiller" solo is one of his favorites to perform (the other being the solo on “

Beyond the Realms of Death "Beyond the Realms of Death" is a power ballad by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their 1978 album ''Stained Class''. The song is considered a Judas Priest classic by fans and critics, with further recordings included in '' Priest, ...

”).

Reception

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' said, "Nobody saw this song coming. Featuring a thunderous intro by new drummer Scott Travis – a colossal improvement over the technically limited Dave Holland – and highlighted by Halford’s maniacal performance, this was Priest embracing extremity without pandering, and sounding once again vital, relevant, and best of all, more powerful than ever." In 2012, ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive i ...

'' ranked the song number two on its list of the 10 greatest Judas Priest songs. In 2019, ''

Louder Sound ''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 196 ...

'' ranked the song number one on its list of the 50 greatest Judas Priest songs.

Cover versions

Japanese band

Babymetal (stylized in all caps as BABYMETAL) is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal", Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal" and Momoko Okazaki as "Momometal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse Inc., Amuse talent a ...

performed an abridged version of the song at the 2016

Alternative Press Music Awards The Alternative Press Music Awards was an annual music awards show in the United States, founded by the music magazine ''Alternative Press''. History On April 24, 2014, ''Alternative Press'' announced they were organizing an award show to be h ...

alongside

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

, which led into another Judas Priest song, "

Breaking the Law "Breaking the Law" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album '' British Steel''. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is readily recognized by its opening guitar riff. Comp ...

." Babymetal performed these songs later in the year during their tour supporting

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

, with singer Su-metal performing all vocals and RHCP's

Chad Smith Chad Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who is the drummer of the rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith has played with the Chili Peppers since 1988, appearing on ten of the band's studio albums and becoming the band's lo ...

playing drums. American

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

covered the song on their album ''

The Sound of Perseverance ''The Sound of Perseverance'' is the seventh and final studio album by American death metal band Death, released on August 31, 1998, by Nuclear Blast. The album featured guitarist Shannon Hamm, drummer Richard Christy, and bassist Scott Clend ...

''.

Personnel

Judas Priest *

– vocals *

– guitar * K. K. Downing – guitar *

Ian Hill Ian Hill (born 20 January 1952) is an English musician, best known as the bassist of the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Along with lead guitarist Glenn Tipton, he is one of only two members who've appeared on all of the band's studio albums. ...

– bass (credited but may not actually appear) *

Scott Travis Mark Scott Travis (born September 6, 1961) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, and the supergroup Elegant Weapons. He was also a longtime member of ...

– drums Additional musicians *

Don Airey Donald Smith Airey (born 21 June 1948) is an English musician. He came to prominence as the keyboardist of the rock band Rainbow during 1979–1982. He has been the keyboardist of Deep Purple, the band from which Rainbow was a spinoff, since 2 ...

–

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

bass

Charts

References

{{Authority control Judas Priest songs 1990 singles Songs written by Rob Halford Songs written by Glenn Tipton Songs written by K. K. Downing Black-and-white music videos Music videos directed by Wayne Isham Columbia Records singles 1990 songs