[scampr]

Never critically acclaimed. Never media darlings. They didn't really get any due until recently! They have a fervent fan base. But then again if your fans like you then they are rating you appropriately. I don't know that they are the finest technicians out there but they certainly don't suck. And Halford, who is old as hell has an amazing voice. Go back and listen to Dreamer Deceiver and tell me Halford is over-rated. Of metal/hard rock vocalists probably only Tate and Khan can do 4 octaves consistently. I think their longevity is a testament to their talent as songwriters and musicians. They have grown and brought varied approaches to their music throughout the last 40 years without getting too weird. I'm not a big fan of Turbo or Ram It Down but it certainly brought accessibility to metal for a lot of people who weren't giving it a chance. And then they ripped us to shreds with Painkiller and the two newer albums. You've Got Another Thing Comin' could maybe sway some of you to call them overrated. It has been beat to death. But you gotta keep that in context too. That song is likely one of the only songs done by an actual metal band that the general public ever got exposed to in a major way. By the time most people heard the Crue they had forgotten metal! But the final testament shouldn't come from any of us on here (unless there are some day jobs we don't know about).
Just look up the tracklists for these tribute albums and ask the bands and musicians you find on there how overrated Priest is:

Legends Of Metal (1997, Century Media) - exists as Vol. I and Vol. II for the European release; US release is actually a compilation of both volumes in a slighly different artwork packaging
Hell Bent For Metal (1999, Dwell Records)
Metal Gods (2000, Zero Records)
Delivering The Goods (2000, Century Media)
Hell Bent For Metal 2 (2000, Dwell Records)
Worship Judas Priest (2001, Guano Records)
An Industrial Tribute To Judas Priest (2001, Cleopatra Records)
A Tribute to the Priest (2002, Nuclear Blast)
Mirada Electrica (2004, OGHMI)
Acero Argentino (2006, Doble B)
On Your Knees (2007, Crimson Mask)
The Beast of Judas Priest

No informed metal fan would ever say Priest was overrated.