Judas Priest - Rapid Fire Bass Cover (With Correct Basslines)

A song that I have practiced a hell lot to get better at alternate picking/chugging. Finally, time to upload it! Priest are one of my favourites and this song is one of my favourite priest songs. This song is a perfect metaphor of heavy metal been forged and shaped to perfection.

I can go on and on about this song, and so will I. So here I go. First of all, one of the most perfect starts for an album, just thinking about the hardest and heaviest music in the world being motorhead and black sabbath and this hits, the chugging intro and the epic drum roll! And it never stops, the epic speed metal drumming blueprint was laid. Upon it laid the root notes on the bass with constant 16th notes playing, most basic to speed metal again and there comes the blueprint for speed metal basslines. Thereafter, the chughing on guitar and badass power chords and followed by almost angry vocals by Rob Halford and the most metal lyrics that exist! To top all they, comes the solo trade off, after the epic bridge which includes another great drum roll, KK Downing and Glenn Tipton are the best guitarists the world has had and will ever have, period!

The bass is a perfect example of less is more and what Ian Hill does on the song is adequate, going over and above is not required when you have the Downing/Tipton duo cutting everything in the path, left, right and center. Just the bas snotes, for example, in the bridge, the way it plays behind the riff makes it epic, like a machine gun blazing. Long live bass god!

Talking about challenges and difficulties, it is basic yet tricky at the same time. The song, as mentioned above, is the simplest speed metal prototype on all the instruments, hence the bass is just the root notes but still the pace and the tightness of the song makes it mandatory to be very precise on the bass, like a machine. So it is the go to song for a beginner speed metal bassist, to pactice and get perfect at alternate picking, it can take some time and make you perfect. On the other hand, for a skilled pick bassist, it is a childs play. Figured out the tqbs by ears.

Original Bassist - Ian Hill
Genre - Speed Metal
From the epic 'British Steel'

Hope you enjoy it!