Unleashed In The East  by Judas Priest

Unleashed In The East from 1979 is not just a live album by Judas Priest; it is the sonic manifesto that defined heavy metal for the 1980s. It was released on September 17, 1979, and stands as the band's first live offering, which propelled them commercially, reaching the Top 10 in the United Kingdom and the Top 100 in the United States, and later becoming platinum. The recording took place in February 1979 in Tokyo, during the tour for the album Hell Bent for Leather (also known as Killing Machine), with stops at Kosei Nenkin Hall and Nakano Sun Plaza. However, the album is accompanied by a legendary myth: the nickname "Unleashed in the Studio".

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Rob Halford later admitted that he suffered from severe influenza during the performances in Japan, resulting in his initial vocal performances being unsuitable for release. Thus, the vocals were entirely re-recorded in the studio (at Ringo Starr's Startling Studios in England), with Halford singing the whole set in one go to maintain the energy of a live performance. Despite the corrections, the musical base remains authentically live, showcasing the explosive chemistry of Downing and Tipton on guitars and the solid playing of Les Binks on drums.

The significance of Unleashed In The East is immense, as it offered "definitive" performances of classic tracks such as Victim Of Changes and The Ripper, which sound much heavier and more compact than their original studio versions. It was their first collaboration with producer Tom Allom, who would seal their sound for the next ten years.