{"id":247921,"date":"2025-10-29T13:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/247921\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T13:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:14:08","slug":"judas-priest-charts-a-surprise-win-with-a-decades-old-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/247921\/","title":{"rendered":"Judas Priest Charts A Surprise Win With A Decades-Old Album"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" top-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761743648_196_960x0.jpg\" alt=\"Alice Cooper And Judas Priest Perform At The Kia Forum\" data-height=\"2050\" data-width=\"3000\" fetchpriority=\"high\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest\u2019s Painkiller debuts on multiple charts in the U.K. after being reissued on vinyl for its thirty-fifth anniversary. INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA &#8211; OCTOBER 19: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white). Rob Halford of Judas Priest performs at The Kia Forum on October 19, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"color-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/hughmcintyre\/2025\/10\/08\/judas-priest-reaches-new-career-highs-with-help-from-ozzy-osbourne\/&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj5-Nb_o8WQAxV3lu4BHfJ6Os8QFnoECBkQAQ&amp;usg=AOvVaw3t0gvmDKehzBtlPIaDR3yN\" data-ga-track=\"InternalLink:https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/hughmcintyre\/2025\/10\/08\/judas-priest-reaches-new-career-highs-with-help-from-ozzy-osbourne\/&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj5-Nb_o8WQAxV3lu4BHfJ6Os8QFnoECBkQAQ&amp;usg=AOvVaw3t0gvmDKehzBtlPIaDR3yN\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"Judas Priest\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Judas Priest<\/a> rocks its way back onto the charts in the United Kingdom this week. The heavy metal icons don\u2019t have new material out, but rather a re-release of one of the group\u2019s most famous full-lengths is responsible for the band\u2019s comeback. <\/p>\n<p>Painkiller propels the musicians back to the tallies as the set finally debuts on multiple rosters. Painkiller finally becomes a bestseller thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalalbumday.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.nationalalbumday.co.uk\/\" aria-label=\"National Album Day\">National Album Day<\/a> in the United Kingdom and a special vinyl offering, and its impressive sales success after so many years of availability demonstrates just how popular Judas Priest remains to this day, especially in the U.K.<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest\u2019s Hugely Successful and Busy 2025<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest earns its third new win on the Official Rock and Metal Albums chart of 2025 alone. Painkiller opens at No. 15 on that roster, its loftiest debut this frame and one of just two top 40 beginnings. <\/p>\n<p>In February, Rocka Rolla opened and peaked at No. 7. Just two months later, Live in Atlanta \u201982 arrived at No. 13, and then fell away only a few days later.<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest\u2019s Album Painkiller Debuts on Multiple Charts<\/p>\n<p>Portrait of British heavy metal group Judas Priest as they pose backstage at the Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, June 14, 1984. Pictured are, from left, bass player Ian Hill, guitarist Glenn Tipton, singer Rob Halford, guitarist KK Downing, and drummer Dave Holland. (Photo by Paul Natkin\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>The same project opens on both the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums charts. Painkiller launches at No. 71 on the list of the top-selling titles on any physical format \u2014 be it CD, cassette, or vinyl. The Judas Priest classic opens at No. 77, just a few spaces below where it kicks off its time on the Official Physical Albums roster, on the general sales list. Painkiller follows Rocka Rolla, earning Judas Priest a second bestseller of 2025 on the two tallies. <\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest\u2019s Fourth Vinyl Albums Chart Hit<\/p>\n<p>Painkiller also manages to sneak into the top 40 on the Official Vinyl Albums chart, narrowly managing to become a true bestseller on that format in the U.K. Judas Priest collects a fourth career appearance on the fo-only tally. That sum stands out as the fewest number of placements on any of the four charts where Painkiller debuts this frame.<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest Reaches a New Career Low with Painkiller<\/p>\n<p>Painkiller now stands as Judas Priest\u2019s lowest-peaking set on the Official Vinyl Albums chart. Before this week, that distinction belonged to Reflections \u2013 50 Heavy Metal Years of Judas Priest, which spent one frame at No. 29. The band\u2019s other two successes on the tally, Firepower and Invincible Shield, both missed out on becoming the group\u2019s first No. 1 by just a single spot.<\/p>\n<p>The History of Judas Priest\u2019s Painkiller<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest shot in Los Angeles in 1991 (Photo by Aaron Rapoport\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest released Painkiller in September 1990, and the band is now honoring its thirty-fifth anniversary. The title came at a very controversial time for the heavy metal outfit, as the rockers had just been cleared of all wrongdoing in a case where the suicide of one man and the attempted suicide of another were partially blamed on the group\u2019s music, and especially its lyrics. <\/p>\n<p>The album delivered singles \u201cPainkiller\u201d and \u201cA Touch of Evil,\u201d and the full-length peaked at No. 26 on both the Official Albums chart and the Billboard 200, the American counterpart that also lists the most-consumed full-lengths and EPs in that country.<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest Celebrates Painkiller\u2019s Anniversary With Vinyl Reissue<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest delivered a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.limitedadditionrecords.com\/en-us\/products\/painkiller-blue-and-white-marble-vinyl-lp?srsltid=AfmBOopzlxshaiOKPjunVfJQpjOZFZHSJFFUABzCie9r2nTaNASAx1qQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.limitedadditionrecords.com\/en-us\/products\/painkiller-blue-and-white-marble-vinyl-lp?srsltid=AfmBOopzlxshaiOKPjunVfJQpjOZFZHSJFFUABzCie9r2nTaNASAx1qQ\" aria-label=\"blue-and-white marble vinyl\">blue-and-white marble vinyl<\/a> copy of Painkiller to celebrate its birthday. The drop was part of National Album Day, an initiative backed by the U.K. music industry that is aimed at shining a light on the format as an art form, and hopefully spurring sales.<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne Joined Forces for \u201cWar Pigs\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Judas Priest returned to different charts in the U.K. only a few weeks ago, as this fall has been busy for the outfit. The group even scored a new bestselling song earlier this month. Judas Priest dropped \u201cWar Pigs,\u201d a team-up with the late, great Ozzy Osbourne, turning the Black Sabbath classic into a collaborative affair just a short time after his passing. <a class=\"color-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=crMDEgNQip8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=crMDEgNQip8\" aria-label=\"\u201cWar Pigs,\u201d\">\u201cWar Pigs,\u201d<\/a> which Judas Priest has used as its intro music for concerts for many years, opened inside the top 20 on both the Official Singles Downloads and Official Singles Sales charts, where it held for just one frame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Judas Priest\u2019s Painkiller debuts on multiple charts in the U.K. after being reissued on vinyl for its thirty-fifth&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[49,48,75,115905,115896,115901,115902,115899,115903,115897,115900,115898,115904,341],"class_list":{"0":"post-247921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-judas-priest-2025","12":"tag-judas-priest-billboard-charts","13":"tag-judas-priest-firepower","14":"tag-judas-priest-invincible-shield","15":"tag-judas-priest-live-in-atlanta-82","16":"tag-judas-priest-ozzy-osbourne-war-pigs","17":"tag-judas-priest-painkiller","18":"tag-judas-priest-reflections-50-heavy-metal-years","19":"tag-judas-priest-rocka-rolla","20":"tag-judas-priest-vinyl-reissue","21":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}