Dave Holland and "British Steel"
Postlethwaite Windschitl
British Steel (1980)
Drummer: Dave Holland
British Steel marks a turning point in Judas Priest’s career. The
songwriting is more concise and riff-oriented than on previous albums
such as Sad Wings of Destiny or Stained Class. Apart from “The Rage,”
there are no epics along the lines of Priest classics such as “Beyond
the Realms of Death” or “Sinner.” The songs here are short, powerful,
and consistent, with an emphasis on memorable choruses. Their new
style is most evident on tracks such as “Breaking the Law,” “Grinder,”
and “Living After Midnight.” But songs like “Rapid Fire” and “Metal
Gods” were proof that Priest had not sold out or gone soft. They are
as dark and brutal as metal gets.
Dave Holland made his debut as Priest’s drummer with this album, and
his work with the band remains controversial among fans nearly 30
years later. Priest has had no less than six drummers (John Hinch,
Alan Moore, Simon Phillips, Les Binks, Dave Holland, and Scott Travis)
in its recording career, and judging from comments at online fan
forums, Holland is easily the least popular. Binks and Travis are
usually the favorites, with their flashy double bass techniques and
effortless chops. Anyone who has heard Binks’ playing on “Exciter” or
Travis’ famous intro to “Painkiller” will have no trouble
understanding why drummers continue to be blown away by their playing.
During his decade (1979-1989) with the band, however, Holland went in
a completely different direction than Binks or Travis. In a 1986
Modern Drummer profile, Holland was described as “the Charlie Watts of
heavy metal.” The description is apt. Beginning with British Steel,
Holland forged a unique but austere style of drumming that focused
above all else on the groove—a pounding, relentless groove built
around steady eighth-notes on the hi-hat and simple, solid bass drum
work. There is almost no use of the ride cymbal and Holland’s fills
tend to be precise and stripped-down, much like his drumming in
general.
Bassist Ian Hill said it best when he described Holland’s style as
“very steady and solid. He doesn't try to fit things in and be fancy
just for the sake of it. Dave's the sort of drummer that would rather
leave something out and make his impact that way, instead of dealing
with a real technical jazz-type drum fill. All I can say is that
Dave's a damn good heavy rock drummer in my book.”
British Steel is as superb an example of unadorned hard rock drumming
as you are likely to find. “Grinder” exemplifies this approach. As
usual, Holland centers the groove around the hi-hat, on which he plays
straight eighths with no slurs or flourishes, and his booming Tama
snare. There are no fancy fills and Holland uses his crash cymbals
sparingly. Like Phil Rudd, Holland understood that simplicity and
steadiness can be used effectively to build tension within a song.
This is no accident, but rather the work of a skilled musician.
“Living After Midnight” is probably the best-known song on this album,
and Holland’s playing here is outstanding. Rock drumming does not get
simpler than this: solid 4/4 time played on the snare, kick, and hi-
hat, with no ride cymbal and no fills to distract from the groove. As
usual, Holland punctuates Rob Halford’s vocal melodies and K.K.
Downing and Glenn Tipton’s riffing with carefully placed cymbal
crashes. The drums drive the song forward with little rhythmic
variation, but it’s that relentless steadiness that makes “Living
After Midnight” such a memorable piece of work. The result is one of
the great hard rock tracks of the decade.
Holland moves away from his granitic four-on-the-floor approach on
“Rapid Fire,” one of the classic early speed metal tracks that Priest
pioneered. On this song, Holland actually throws in some explosive,
fast fills across the toms, demonstrating his grounding in rudiments.
His double-bass drum work here is nothing innovative, but it’s
characteristically straightforward and precise, providing a propulsive
foundation for Downing and Tipton’s maniacal soloing. Holland would
continue to use this type of quick, rat-a-tat-tat style on later
Priest speed metal tracks such as “Screaming for Vengeance,”
“Freewheel Burning,” and “Ram It Down.”
Fans of Holland’s supple, funk-inflected playing with his previous
band, Trapeze, must have been startled to hear his playing on British
Steel. Tipton and Halford have stated in interviews that Holland was
hired to provide a simpler style for the kind of pounding metal that
Priest started writing after Les Binks’ departure. Judging from his
subsequent work with Priest, Holland fit right in with the band’s new
musical direction. British Steel went platinum and is now widely
regarded as a masterpiece, with several of its individual tracks
becoming permanent fixtures in the pantheon of heavy metal classics.
Rob Halford has expressed “enormous respect for Dave and what he did
for the band.” What he did was lay down impeccable, colossal grooves
that served the music rather than calling attention to the drummer.
That is no small accomplishment.
