by Steve Huey

Having reinvented themselves as an arena metal act with the hugely successful British Steel, Judas Priest naturally opted to stay the course with Point of Entry, keeping things simple while adding a bluesy boogie in places, a sound they hadn't really attempted in quite some time. However, where British Steel's simplicity was an effective reworking of the band's sound, Point of Entry's songs aren't always up to par, making its less well-crafted tracks sound like lunkheaded, low-effort filler. When Point of Entry works, it works well -- "Heading Out to the Highway," "Solar Angels," and "Desert Plains," for example, are great, driving hard rock songs, but British rock anthem hits "Don't Go" and "Hot Rockin'" seem oddly generic given Priest's reputation for inventiveness. Even if Point of Entry is somewhat disappointing overall, though, it's partly because of the album's genre-transforming predecessors; it does have enough good moments to make it worthwhile to diehards and fans of the group's more commercial '80s output.