Painkiller (song)
Encyclopedia
"Painkiller" is the opening track on British
metal
band
Judas Priest
's 1990 album, Painkiller, and was released as the first single off the album later that year.
The first guitar solo in the song is played by Glenn Tipton
, and the second by KK Downing. this song also is noted for Rob Halford
's high pitched screams throughout the song as well as Scott Travis
' complex drumming. Tipton has also stated that Painkiller solo is his favorite to play.
The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
during the 32nd Grammy Awards (1990), the first year the award was presented.
band Death on their 1998 album The Sound of Perseverance
. This version also appeared on the Judas Priest tribute album Legends Of Metal - A Tribute To Judas Priest Volume II. Rob Halford's original vocals were remastered and featured as backing vocals for the Death cover, and then overdubbed with Chuck's vocals.
The Brazilian power metal
band Angra
has covered the song too on the album Freedom Call
, released in 1996.
More recently, the British thrash/power metal band Biomechanical
did a cover of the song and was included in the Limited Edition of The Empires of the Worlds
, featuring Chris Tsangarides
, who produced the Painkiller album. In 2010, a Taiwanese metal band CHTHONIC
has also done a cover of the song mixed with oriental elements and digitally released it.
The high-energy drum intro was covered by Mike Wengren of Disturbed, as an intro to their cover of Priest's "Living After Midnight
".
In May 2011, 7 students from Aaron O'Keefe's music academy near Cincinnnati, Ohio, recorded a cover version of "Painkiller" at Reba McEntire's
Starstruck Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The students ranged in age from 11 to 17. A video of the recording was posted on YouTube.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
's 1990 album, Painkiller, and was released as the first single off the album later that year.
The first guitar solo in the song is played by Glenn Tipton
Glenn Tipton
Glenn Tipton is one of the Grammy Award-winning guitarists for the heavy metal band Judas Priest...
, and the second by KK Downing. this song also is noted for Rob Halford
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
's high pitched screams throughout the song as well as Scott Travis
Scott Travis
Scott Travis is a Grammy Award winning American rock musician, best known as the drummer for the English heavy metal band Judas Priest and the American heavy metal band Racer X.-Biography:...
' complex drumming. Tipton has also stated that Painkiller solo is his favorite to play.
The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
during the 32nd Grammy Awards (1990), the first year the award was presented.
Cover versions
The song was covered by death metalDeath metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Death on their 1998 album The Sound of Perseverance
The Sound of Perseverance
The Sound of Perseverance is the seventh and final album by American metal band Death. The album was released on September 15, 1998 through Nuclear Blast.- Overview :...
. This version also appeared on the Judas Priest tribute album Legends Of Metal - A Tribute To Judas Priest Volume II. Rob Halford's original vocals were remastered and featured as backing vocals for the Death cover, and then overdubbed with Chuck's vocals.
The Brazilian power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band Angra
Angra (band)
Angra is a Brazilian metal band from São Paulo, Brazil known for its symphonic interludes, highly technical instrumental playing and Brazilian regional elements.- Biography :...
has covered the song too on the album Freedom Call
Freedom Call (EP)
Freedom Call is an EP by the heavy metal band Angra.-Track listing:#"Freedom Call"#"Queen of the Night" #"Reaching Horizons" #"Stand Away" #"Painkiller"...
, released in 1996.
More recently, the British thrash/power metal band Biomechanical
Biomechanical (band)
Biomechanical is a progressive groove metal band from London, UK. The project started back in April 1999 by the founding member John K who wrote, recorded and arranged all of the music, with the exception of the songs ‘Existenz’ and ‘Survival’ which were co-written by Chris Webb and Jamie Hunt...
did a cover of the song and was included in the Limited Edition of The Empires of the Worlds
The Empires of the Worlds
The Empires Of The Worlds is the follow-up album to Eight Moons, and is the second album from the British metal band Biomechanical. It was released in 2005 on Earache Records-Track listing:#Enemy Within - 4:56#The Empires Of The Worlds - 4:09...
, featuring Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides is a British Grammy-nominated record producer, sound engineer, and mixer. He is best known for his work with many heavy metal bands, including Judas Priest, Anvil, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Helloween, and Yngwie Malmsteen...
, who produced the Painkiller album. In 2010, a Taiwanese metal band CHTHONIC
Chthonic (band)
Chthonic is a Taiwanese metal band, formed in 1995 in Taipei. The group incorporates influences from traditional Taiwanese music including the classical Asian instrument erhu...
has also done a cover of the song mixed with oriental elements and digitally released it.
The high-energy drum intro was covered by Mike Wengren of Disturbed, as an intro to their cover of Priest's "Living After Midnight
Living After Midnight
"Living After Midnight" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally featured on their 1980 album British Steel. Speaking to the hedonistic, rebellious spirit of the 1980s, is one of the band's most popular songs....
".
In May 2011, 7 students from Aaron O'Keefe's music academy near Cincinnnati, Ohio, recorded a cover version of "Painkiller" at Reba McEntire's
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
Starstruck Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The students ranged in age from 11 to 17. A video of the recording was posted on YouTube.
In other media
- It is featured in the video game Rock Band 2Rock Band 2Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
. It is the final song in the "Rolling Stone Rock Immortal Setlist" and the hardest one for Guitar and Band. - It is featured in the video game Rock Band UnpluggedRock Band UnpluggedRock Band Unplugged is an expansion of the Rock Band series of music video games released for the PlayStation Portable. The game is developed by Backbone Entertainment in conjunction with Harmonix Music Systems and is distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts...
. - It is featured in video game Brütal LegendBrütal LegendBrütal Legend is an action-adventure/real-time strategy game created by Double Fine Productions and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America and Europe...
during the final boss battle. - It appears in the video game Madden NFL 10Madden NFL 10For the tenth installment in the Madden series, see Madden 64Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 21st annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise...
. - It appears in the video game Guitar Hero: Van HalenGuitar Hero: Van HalenGuitar Hero: Van Halen is the third and final band-specific rhythm video game in the Guitar Hero series. As with the previous games Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero: Metallica, the game features 25 songs from Van Halen along with 19 additional songs from selected artists that have been...
where it omits the drum intro, due to licensing reasons.
Trivia
- It is listed to be the hardest overall track in Rock Band 2Rock Band 2Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
and UnpluggedRock Band UnpluggedRock Band Unplugged is an expansion of the Rock Band series of music video games released for the PlayStation Portable. The game is developed by Backbone Entertainment in conjunction with Harmonix Music Systems and is distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts...
and is the final song to be unlocked in both games. - It is the first song in the Rock Band series to have a full "Impossible" difficulty rating for all band members.
Personnel
- Rob HalfordRob HalfordRobert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
- lead vocals - K. K. DowningK. K. DowningKenneth "K.K." Downing, Jr. is a Grammy Award winning guitarist, songwriter and a founding member of the British heavy metal band Judas Priest...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals - Glenn TiptonGlenn TiptonGlenn Tipton is one of the Grammy Award-winning guitarists for the heavy metal band Judas Priest...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals - Ian HillIan HillIan Hill is a founding member and bassist for the Birmingham-based Grammy award winning heavy metal band, Judas Priest....
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Scott TravisScott TravisScott Travis is a Grammy Award winning American rock musician, best known as the drummer for the English heavy metal band Judas Priest and the American heavy metal band Racer X.-Biography:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....