Painkiller by Judas Priest

If you think this song is impossible to play, imagine how Judas Priest felt in 1990: Their landmark album Screaming for Vengeance was now eight years old, and they’d had a few lean years, trying a synthesizer-driven sound that their fans weren’t sure about.

With its six-minute title track, Painkiller was hailed as their return to full-tilt metal, with the new addition of double bass drums (previous drummer Dave Holland had only played single bass). The Painkiller character was a motorcycle-riding metal avenger who would save the world from destruction, or at least rock it really hard. The character came from the band’s interest in “Robocop” and other futuristic films. This would be the last album Priest made with singer Rob Halford before his long hiatus.

Drummer Scott Travis, who made his debut on the Painkiller album, was the first American to join Judas Priest. He was born in Norfolk, VA.

Oof! Okay, the first hint is to resist any urges to kick a hole in your screen after the first hundred times you fail. As of RB2’s release, this is a strong contender as the toughest song in the history of Rock Band, so only the most intrepid players will be able to get through it. If you’re playing guitar, the trick is to hold onto your Overdrive for as long as humanly possible: The solo goes on for an unbearably long time; you’ll think the hard part is finally ending when it isn’t—so don’t exhaust your overdrive before you absolutely need to.

The main riff is no cinch either, but it’s notably similar (and slower) to the main riff in “Panic Attack.” So once you master that song—easier said than done, we know—you should be able to survive most of the “Painkiller” riffage. And since the main riff is all single notes with the green as a root, keeping your index finger on the green for the full riff makes it a lot easier.

Vocally, we recommend taking it down an octave. No matter how much you look like Rob Halford, you’re going to have to sing higher than you want to.

Back on the road with Halford back upfront.