Killing Machine

Released in late 1978, Killing Machine (retitled Hell Bent for Leather in the US) is the fifth studio album by Judas Priest and marks a significant commercial and stylistic pivot. Following the complex 'Stained Class', the band intentionally moved toward more accessible, shorter song structures to facilitate radio play and a more energetic live show. This era also saw the band adopt their iconic leather-and-studs wardrobe, a look inspired by S&M subculture that would become the universal uniform for heavy metal. Sonically, the album bridges the gap between 70s hard rock and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. It features the band's first significant cover hit, 'Better By You, Better Than Me' (on US versions), and showcases a more rhythmic, 'groove' oriented approach to metal. Critics often cite this as the record where Priest 'found' the formula that would lead to their 1980s superstardom.