Few bands have influenced heavy metal as much as Judas Priest . Founded in 1969, the British band was responsible for creating the "uniform" of the musical style, with leather outfits adorned with studs.
Their stage presence and music videos were crucial in creating the image that would be recognized as metal to this day, and the group was responsible for some iconic album covers throughout the 18 studio albums released in the last 50 years of their career.
In a mission to decide the ranking of the band's best album covers, from worst to best, the Wikimetal editorial and design team evaluated the artwork of each album released by the band to date, continuing the work begun with Iron Maiden , Metallica , Helloween and Megadeth .
The criteria are based exclusively on the visual aspect of each album, without judging the sonic content of the records. Even so, the classic British Steel (1980) still topped the ranking, which did not happen with Painkiller (1990) and Turbo (1986), which were left out of the Top 10.
18. Stained Class (1978)
17. Firepower (2018)
16. Demolition (2001)
15. Turbo (1986)
14. Point of Entry (1981)
13. Rocka Rolla (1974)
12. Jugulator (1997)
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11. Painkiller (1990)
10. Redeemer of Souls (2014)
9. Angel of Retribution (2005)
8. Defender of the Faith (1984)
7. Nostradamus (2008)
6. Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
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5. Ram it Down (1988)
4. Killing Machine (1978)
3. Sin After Sin (1977)
2. Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
1. British Steel (1980)
READ ALSO: All Iron Maiden album covers, from worst to best; see the ranking
