Genre Heavy metal | ||
Label CBS, Inc. (UK)
Columbia Records (US) Writer(s) Halford, K.K. Downing, Tipton | ||
"Dissident Aggressor" is an apocalyptic epic song released by the British heavy metal band, Judas Priest that was first released on Sin After Sin in 1977. The song features "driving guitar riffs" and guitarists, K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton trade solos in the song.
Thirty three years later, the song won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance after being released again on A Touch of Evil: Live.
Influence on the genre
Judas Priest's 1977 Sin After Sin introduced the combination of the double bass drum and rapid 16th bass rhythms combined with rapid 16th note guitar rhythms that came to define the genre. While the double-bass rhythms from Judas Priest are generally measured and technical, Dissident Aggressor pushed this to be an example of the style with an increase in "tempo and aggression" which was later adopted by other bands like Motörhead with a much harder-edged approach.
The song featured "groundbreaking vocal styles" by Rob Halford which had never been heard on any heavy metal record before.