Judas Priest - Turbo Lover

What this video is

Released in April 1986, 'Turbo Lover' arrived at the precise moment when heavy metal was undergoing its most commercially successful — and internally controversial — transformation. Judas Priest's pivot toward a synth-driven, glam-inflected sound on the Turbo album reflected the broader mid-1980s industry shift toward pop-friendly production. The video's heavy MTV rotation made it a defining artifact of the…

Why it matters

A key transitional document in heavy metal's mid-1980s crossover moment, 'Turbo Lover' demonstrates how established metal acts adapted visual language for MTV dominance. The video's synthesis of biker iconography, surrealist stop-motion, and solarized post-processing codified an aesthetic template…

The director

Wayne Isham (b. December 2, 1958, Vinita, Oklahoma) is an American music video and film director. A UC Santa Barbara alumnus, he was inspired by David Bowie's 'Ashes to Ashes' to pursue music video directing. He built his reputation directing arena rock acts…