Beyond the Realms of Death
{{Short description|1978 song by Judas Priest}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Beyond the Realms of Death
| cover =
| alt =
| artist = Judas Priest
| album = Stained Class
| released = {{Start date|1978|02|10|df=y}}
| recorded = October–November 1977
| studio = Chipping Norton Recording, Oxfordshire, England
| genre = Heavy metal
| length = 6:53
| label = Columbia
| writer = {{hlist|Rob Halford|Les Binks}}
| producer = {{hlist|Dennis Mackay|Judas Priest}}
}}
"Beyond the Realms of Death" is a power ballad{{Cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/10-power-ballads-dont-suck/|title=Top 10 Power Ballads That Don't Suck|website=Loudwire|date=12 April 2018 }} by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their 1978 album Stained Class. The song is considered a Judas Priest classic by fans and critics,{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/31265/Judas-Priest-Stained-Class/ |title=Judas Priest – Stained Class (album review 3) |publisher=Sputnikmusic |access-date=2014-05-19}}{{cite web |author=Steve Huey |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/stained-class-r10658 |title=Stained Class - Judas Priest | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2014-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210222433/http://www.allmusic.com/album/stained-class-r10658 |archive-date=10 February 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} with further recordings included in Priest, Live and Rare, '98 Live Meltdown, Live in London, A Touch of Evil: Live, Live Insurrection and a number of compilation albums. Drummer Les Binks has his only songwriting credit with the band for the main riff.
Composition
The song is written in B-minor, employing a verse-chorus structure, interspersed with a solo following the first and second chorus by Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing respectively. The verses use an acoustic riff, while the choruses and outro are more typical of the band's heavy metal sound.
The lyrics depict a man waiting for death as he suffers from catatonia or depression. The manner of his death is unclear.
The song was mentioned in a 1990 trial in which the parents of two teens who had committed suicide after listening to Stained Class alleged that subliminal messages encouraging suicide had been hidden in another song on the album. In a telephone interview with The New York Times at the time, Halford confirmed that the song carries an anti-suicidal message, discussing how people suffering from depression withdraw from society and refuse to communicate.{{cite news|date=August 25, 1990|title=Band Is Held Not Liable In Suicides of Two Fans|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/25/arts/band-is-held-not-liable-in-suicides-of-two-fans.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207202806/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/25/arts/band-is-held-not-liable-in-suicides-of-two-fans.html|archive-date=7 February 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}
Covers
- Blind Guardian covered the song on the tribute album A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal Vol. II. The cover also appeared on the 2007 remaster of their compilation album The Forgotten Tales.
Personnel
- Rob Halford – vocals
- K. K. Downing – guitars
- Glenn Tipton – guitars
- Ian Hill – bass
- Les Binks – drums
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Judas Priest}}
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