Judas Priest "Metal Works '73–'93"

Metal Works is a compilation album by Judas Priest, released in 1993. A remastered edition was released in 2001, with the same track listing. All material was previously available. All albums to that date are represented with the exception of their debut, Rocka Rolla, although a live version of "Victim of Changes" (from Unleashed in the East, with what appears to be an American sounding audience dubbed on at the end, instead of the familiar Japanese one from the album version) is used rather than the studio version on Sad Wings of Destiny. This is because the band no longer owns the rights to their first two albums.

The band selected the tracks themselves, and made comments in the sleeve-notes.

As an album it showcases versatility of their musical career. This album also brought Rob Halford back into the fold for a short while following his departure from the band due to internal tensions.

The album cover by Mark Wilkinson (who had done the band's cover art from Ram It Down to Nostradamus) combines elements from the band's previous releases. In the foreground are the Hellion from Screaming for Vengeance and the Painkiller from its eponymous 1990 album. Under the Hellion's body is a razor blade, a reference to the album British Steel. The lower left shows the female hand holding a gear shift knob from Turbo and a mannequin wearing sunglasses and a studded leather headband representing Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather. The lower right corner features the door and columns from Sin After Sin, the metallic head from Stained Class enveloped in smoke, and the Metallian from Defenders of the Faith. At the end of the trail of flames in front of the Metallian is the shaft of light from Point of Entry. Additionally, one of the chimneys on the factory in the lower right corner is the band's familiar trident logo. The only studio album represented on this compilation, but not in the cover art, is Ram It Down.

Track listing

Disc one

1. "The Hellion" Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton Screaming for Vengeance (1982) 0:41
2. "Electric Eye" Halford, Downing, Tipton Screaming for Vengeance (1982) 3:39
3. "Victim of Changes" (live) Al Atkins, Halford, Downing, Tipton Unleashed in the East (1979) 7:12
4. "Painkiller" Halford, Downing, Tipton Painkiller (1990) 6:06
5. "Eat Me Alive" Halford, Downing, Tipton Defenders of the Faith (1984) 3:34
6. "Devil's Child" Halford, Downing, Tipton Screaming for Vengeance (1982) 4:48
7. "Dissident Aggressor" Halford, Downing, Tipton Sin After Sin (1977) 3:07
8. "Delivering the Goods" Halford, Downing, Tipton Killing Machine (1978) 4:16
9. "Exciter" Halford, Tipton Stained Class (1978) 5:04
10. "Breaking the Law" Halford, Downing, Tipton British Steel (1980) 2:35
11. "Hell Bent for Leather" Tipton Killing Machine (1978) 2:41
12. "Blood Red Skies" Halford, Downing, Tipton Ram It Down (1988) 7:50
13. "Metal Gods" Halford, Downing, Tipton British Steel (1980) 4:08
14. "Before the Dawn" Halford, Downing, Tipton Killing Machine (1978) 3:23
15. "Turbo Lover" Halford, Downing, Tipton Turbo (1986) 5:33
16. "Ram It Down" Halford, Downing, Tipton Ram It Down (1988) 4:48
17. "Metal Meltdown" Halford, Downing, Tipton Painkiller (1990) 4:14

Disc two

1. "Screaming for Vengeance" Halford, Downing, Tipton Screaming for Vengeance (1982) 4:43
2. "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" Halford, Downing, Tipton Screaming for Vengeance (1982) 5:09
3. "Beyond the Realms of Death" Halford, Les Binks Stained Class (1978) 6:53
4. "Solar Angels" Halford, Downing, Tipton Point of Entry (1981) 4:04
5. "Bloodstone" Halford, Downing, Tipton Screaming for Vengeance (1982) 3:51
6. "Desert Plains" Halford, Downing, Tipton Point of Entry (1981) 4:30
7. "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days" Halford, Downing, Tipton Turbo (1986) 4:39
8. "Heading Out to the Highway" (live) Halford, Downing, Tipton Priest...Live! (1987) 4:40
9. "Living After Midnight" Halford, Downing, Tipton British Steel (1980) 3:26
10. "A Touch of Evil" Halford, Downing, Tipton, Chris Tsangarides Painkiller (1990) 5:45
11. "The Rage" Halford, Downing, Tipton British Steel (1980) 4:44
12. "Night Comes Down" Halford, Downing, Tipton Defenders of the Faith (1984) 3:58
13. "Sinner" Halford, Tipton Sin After Sin (1977) 6:43
14. "Freewheel Burning" Halford, Downing, Tipton Defenders of the Faith (1984) 4:22
15. "Night Crawler" Halford, Downing, Tipton Painkiller (1990) 5:45

This 2-disc set has also been added to the UK version of the Re-Masters series and has a catalog number that places it between Ram It Down and Painkiller for some strange reason. There are no added tracks on this compilation and it is not part of the Collector's Box. 

Another oddity: the version of "Exciter" on this compilation is edited. The third verse is missing from the track. "Metal Meltdown" is also edited, with the original guitar-intro removed.

A remastered edition of this album has been released. It also includes an expanded booklet.