…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun May 02, 2021.

(Sunday 8:00 – 10:00PM US Central, replay Wednesday at 10:00pm … stream on wvlp.org)

This is a tough list. If I remade it next month, there might be a few changes, with some songs that didn’t make it this time coming forwards, depending on the day of the week. There is a large back-log of tracks that could be 10.1, 10.2, and so on. Metal purists might be aghast that I have not included their lengthy works Ghostship and Queen of the City of Ice. Both are great songs, but Ghostship feels a little too weighted by “interludes”; I could include certain parts of the song in this list, but it seemed wrong to break it up. Queen of the City of Ice would be a strong contender, except for the somewhat lengthy voice acting segment towards the back end of the song. Nothing spoils a music track more than voice over acting. Bands: stop it. If you need voice overs to communicate the story, put them between tracks, not on top of tracks. Also looking at you, Seventh Wonder and “One Last Goodbye.”

10. Crystalline Dream, off Carved in Stone (1995).

9. Question At Hand, off Shadow Gallery (1992).

8. Strong, off Digital Ghosts (2009).

7. The Dance of the Fools, off Shadow Gallery (1992).

6. Deeper Than Life, off Carved in Stone (1995).

5. Alaska, off Carved in Stone (1995).

4. Digital Ghost, off Digital Ghosts (2009).

3. The Archer of Ben Salem, off Room V (2005).

2. War for Sale, off Tyranny (1998).

1. Room V, off Room V (2005.

… that are NOT Bohemian Rhapsody!

… as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Apr 25, 2021.

(Sunday 8:00 – 10:00PM US Central, replay Wednesday at 10:00pm … stream on wvlp.org)

So why not Bohemian Rhapsody? Well, much like Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, I am totally split between recognizing that it’s one of the best songs ever, and recognizing that I don’t need to hear that song ever again in my life. So if my Top 10 list is supposed to be based on musical impact, sure, it should probably be #1. If it’s supposed to be a list of the ten songs I’m most likely to want to hear at any given time, it should not be on the list. So rather than haggle with myself over that, I just left it out entirely! Hey, it’s my list, I can do what I want.

10. Fat Bottomed Girls, off Jazz (1978).

9. Hammer to Fall, off The Works (1984).

8. The March of the Black Queen, off Queen II (1974).

7. Keep Yourself Alive, off Queen (1973).

6. Breakthru, off The Miracle (1989).

5. Ride the Wild Wind, off Innuendo (1991).

4. You’re My Best Friend, off A Night At the Opera (1975).

3. Radio Gaga, off The Works (1984).

2. I Want It All, off The Miracle (1989).

1. Don’t Stop Me Now, off Jazz (1978).

…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Apr 18, 2021.

(Sunday 8:00 – 10:00PM US Central, replay Wednesday at 10:00pm … stream on wvlp.org)

Thunderstone is really good at lead tracks and closing tracks. Five of these songs are one or the other (2 lead tracks, 3 closing tracks).

10. Forevermore, off Evolution 4.0 (2007).

9. Dirt Metal, off Dirt Metal (2009).

8. Virus, off Thunderstone (2002).

7. Barren Land, off Apocalypse Again (2016).

6. Tool of the Devil, off Tools of Destruction (2005).

5. Eyes of a Stranger, off Thunderstone (2002).

4. Land of Innocence, off Tools of Destruction (2005).

3. The Path, off Apocalypse Again (2016).

2. Without Wings, off Tools of Destruction (2005).

1. Evil Within, off The Burning (2004).

…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Apr 11, 2021.

(Sunday 8:00 – 10:00PM US Central, replay Wednesday at 10:00pm … stream on wvlp.org)

10. Send Me No Wine, off On the Threshold of a Dream (1969).

9. Your Wildest Dreams, off The Other Side of Life (1986).

8. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere, off Sur La Mer (1988).

7. The Afternoon, off Days of Future Passed (1967).

6. New Horizons, off Seventh Sojourn (1972).

5. Question, off A Question of Balance (1970).

4. I’m Just A Singer, off Seventh Sojourn (1972).

3. The Night, off Days of Future Passed (1967).

2. The Voice, off Long Distance Voyager (1981).

1. The Story in Your Eyes, off Every Good Boy Deserves Favor (1971).

.…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Apr 04, 2021.

Now here’s the thing about this particular Top 10 List. Unlike many other bands, I need to designate two entirely different top 10 lists for Priest. If I was going to come up with my top 10 high energy songs that I firmly expect to be in a concert set-list, things like Painkiller and Freewheel Burning would surely be in it. Some “famous” songs like Living After Midnight would be there, too. This is not that list. Instead, this is a list of songs from Priest that I want to hear when I’m home, alone, with headphones on, just chilling out. So it has a lot of the more grandiose offerings from Priest, maybe with some songs that I don’t expect they’ play live anymore – if ever. There are a couple of tunes that would appear on both lists, and maybe some day, I’ll make that other list. But for now, here you go: Ken’s Oddball Judas Priest list.

10. Delivering the Goods, off Hell Bent for Leather (1978).

9. Island of Domination, off Sad Wings of Destiny (1976).

8. Rapid Fire, off British Steel (1980).

7. Desert Plains, off Point of Entry (1981).

6. Blood Red Skies, off Ram It Down (1988).

5. Touch of Evil, off Painkiller (1990).

4. Persecution, off Nostradamus (2008).

3. Sinner, off Sin After Sin (1977).

2. Riding on the Wind, off Screaming for Vengeance (1982).

1. The Sentinel, off Defenders of the Faith (1984).

(including solo Devin Townsend (DT), Devin Townsend Band (DTB), and Devin Townsend Project (DTP).)

…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Mar 28, 2021.

I usually prefer smooth, melodic Devin Townsend over screamy Devin Townsend, and that’s reflected in this list. But of course, having Anneke Van Giersbergen class up the joint with her vocals always adds extra points.

(10) Stormbending, off Transcendance (2016, DTP).

(9) Bad Devil, off Infinity (1998, DT).

(8) Triumph, off Synchestra (2006, DTB).

(7) Offer Your Light, off Transcendance (2016, DTP).

(6) Slow Me Down, off Accelerated Evolution (2003, DTB).

(5) Before We Die, off Z2: Sky Blue (2014, DTP).

(4) Kingdom, off Epitaph (2012, DTP).

(3) Fallout, off Z2: Sky Blue (2014, DTP).

(2) Life, off Ocean Machine (1997, DT).

(1) Hyperdrive!, off Addicted (2009, DTP).

…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Mar 21, 2021.

10. The Bane of Daninsky, The Werewolf, off Dark Moor (2003).

9. Houdini’s Great Escapade, off Beyond the Sea (2005).

8. Crossing Through Your Heart, off Origins (2018).

7. Maid of Orleans, off The Hall of Olden Dreams (2000).

6. Ah! Wretched Me Ancestral Romance (2010).

5. Wheel of Fortune, off Tarot (2007).

4. A Music in My Soul, off Ancestral Romance (2010).

3. Beyond the Stars, off Project X (2015).

2. Silver Key, off Beyond the Sea (2005).

1. The Road Again, off Ars Musica (2013).

…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Mar 14, 2021.

10. En Force, off The Warning (1984).

9. One More Time, off Promised Land (1994).

8. Surgical Strike, off Rage for Order (1986).

7. Walk in the Shadows, off Rage for Order (1986).

6. Man the Machine, off The Verdict (2019).

5. Best I Can Empire, off (1990).

4. Roads to Madness, off The Warning (1984).

3. Silent Lucidity Empire, off (1990).

2. I Don’t Believe in Love, off Operation: Mindcrime (1988).

1. Eyes of a Stranger, off Operation: Mindcrime (1988).

…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Feb 28, 2021.

10. Anyone, Anywhere, off Judgement (1999).

9. Thin Air, off We’re Here Because We’re Here (2010).

8. Panic, off A Fine Day to Exit (2001).

7. Deep, off Judgement (1999).

6. The Lost Song, Pt 1 / 2, off Distant Satellites (2014).

Part 1

Part 2

5. Fragile Dreams, off Alternative 4 (1998).

4. A Dying Wish, off The Silent Enigma (1995).

3. Ariel, off Distant Satellites (2014).

2. Empty, off Alternative 4 (1998).

1. Untouchable Pt 1 / 2, off Weather Systems (2012).

…as played on Mostly Metal, 103.1FM, Valparaiso, IN the week of Sun Feb 21, 2021.

Why not Top 10? Because these five songs alone run over an hour and a half!

5. White Cold Wrath Burnt Frozen Blood, off The June Frost (2009).

Part 1

Part 2

4. Mother-Water, the Great Sea Wept, off The Monad of Creation (2005).

3. Opal of the Stream Beneath the Hills, off Tears From a Greiving Heart (1999).

2. The Book of Kings, off The Book of Kings (2011).

1. Scripture of Exaltation and Punishment, off The Incubus of Karma (2018).