Plenty of bands influenced the sound of heavy metal -- but we'd argue that nobody influenced its look more than Judas Priest.

Red leather pants and biker caps, studded wristbands and mirrored aviator shades, Harley-Davidsons and riding crops; for better or worse, it all started with Rob Halford and Priest. So it's no surprise that the makers of the new five-disc box set Metalogy comes covered in leather and wrapped in metal studs. Hell, we'd expect no less from the Metal Gods. But we'd also expect a definitive musical experience to go along with that cool packaging -- and that, much as we hate to say it, is where this $80 retrospective comes up just a wee bit short.

The reason we hate to say it is because whoever put this together obviously laboured over it -- and had to jump through a heap of hoops to get the job done. The 65-song set collects material from no less than four different record labels, tracing the trajectory of Priest's three-decade career from 1974's Rocka Rolla to 2001's Demolition (featuring Halford's replacement Ripper Owens). The four audio discs cherry-pick tracks from virtually every studio album. The set list includes the expected essentials: Hell Bent for Leather, Living After Midnight, Metal Gods, You've Got Another Thing Comin', Freewheel Burning, Some Heads are Gonna Roll, and plenty more where they came from.

So what's wrong? Well, the same things that are wrong with most box sets that aim to be definitive: Something always slips through the cracks. In this case, the most glaring omission is The Ripper, from 1976's seminal Sad Wings of Destiny. Though we'd also argue for the inclusion of Rock Forever from 1979's Hell Bent For Leather. And the title track from Rocka Rolla. And ... well, you get the idea. Doubtless, every Priest fan will find one favourite track is overlooked here.

Even more disappointing, the set has a habit of substituting live recordings for studio cuts. So if you're looking for the original versions of Victim of Changes, Breaking the Law, Grinder, Hot Rockin' and others, you won't find them here. And while most of these live cuts are supposedly rarities and B-sides, so what? -- it's not like live Priest recordings are tough to come by. Case in point: The box includes the entire gig from 1982's Screaming for Vengeance on a bonus DVD. Finally, as for the one studio bonus cut -- a demo of Heart of a Lion -- it's OK but hardly worth the price of admission.

Don't get us wrong; even with its faults, Metalogy is easily the best Judas Priest box set that's ever been produced. It's just too bad that it's not the best Judas Priest box that could have been produced.

Track Listing
Disc 1:
1. Never Satisfied
2. Deceiver
3. Tyrant
4. Victim Of Changes - Live
5. Diamonds And Rust - Live (non LP B-side)
6. Starbreaker- Live
7. Sinner
8. Dissident Aggressor
9. Exciter
10. Beyond The Realms Of Death
11. Better By You, Better Than Me
12. Invader
13. Stained Class
14. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) - Live

Disc 2:
1. Killing Machine
2. Evening Star
3. Take On The World
4. Delivering The Goods
5. Evil Fantasies
6. Hell Bent For Leather
7. Breaking The Law - Live
8. Living After Midnight
9. Rapid Fire
10. Metal Gods
11. Grinder Live
12. The Rage
13. Heading Out To The Highway
14. Hot Rockin' - Live
15. Troubleshooter
16. Solar Angels
17. Desert Plains
18. The Hellion- Live
19. Screaming For Vengeance

Disc 3:
1. Riding On The Wind
2. Bloodstone
3. You've Got Another Thing Comin'
4. Devil's Child
5. Freewheel Burning
6. Jawbreaker
7. The Sentinel
8. Love Bites - Live
9. Eat Me Alive
10. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
11. Rock Hard Ride Free
12. Night Comes Down
13. Turbo Lover
14. Private Property
15. Parental Guidance
16. Out In The Cold
17. Heart Of A Lion- Demo Version


Disc 4:
1. Ram It Down
2. Heavy Metal
3. Come And Get It
4. Blood Red Skies
5. Painkiller
6. Between The Hammer & The Anvil
7. A Touch Of Evil
8. Metal Meltdown
9. Night Crawler
10. All Guns Blazing
11. Jugulator
12. Blood Stained
13. Machine Man
14. Feed On Me


Disc 5:
1. The Hellion/Electric Eye - Live
2. Riding On The Wind - Live
3. Heading Out To The Highway - Live
4. Metal Gods - Live
5. Bloodstone - Live
6. Breaking The Law - Live
7. The Sinner - Live
8. Desert Plains - Live
9. The Ripper - Live
10. Diamonds and Rust - Live
11. Devil's Child - Live
12. Screaming For Vengeance - Live
13. You've Got Another Thing Comin'- Live
14. Victim Of Changes - Live
15. Living After Midnight - Live
16. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) - Live
17. Hell Bent For Leather - Live