Painkiller by Judas Priest: BPM and key
Painkiller by Judas Priest is 104 BPM in A minor (Camelot 8A). Half time is 52 BPM and double time is 208 BPM. The relative key is C major.
Counting 104 beats every minute puts Painkiller in the relaxed mid-tempo bracket (slower than 80% of the 20 songs we have measured). Each beat lands about 577 ms apart, which stretches to 2.31 s per bar.
Painkiller: tempo and key at a glance
| BPM | 104 |
| Half time / double time | 52 / 208 BPM |
| Key (estimated) | A minor |
| Camelot code | 8A |
| Relative key | C major (8B) |
| Tempo feel | relaxed mid-tempo |
| Length | 6:05 |
| Released | 1990 |
| Album | Painkiller |
We measured this with the same analyzer you can use on this site, running on a 30-second public preview of the track. No independent BPM figure was available to compare, so treat the tempo as a measured estimate that can be a beat or two off.
Mixing Painkiller with other songs
8A sits next to 9A (E minor) and 7A (D minor) on the Camelot wheel, with 8B (C major) as its relative major. Those four keys blend without a clash, and pushing the pitch fader by a few percent usually closes a small tempo gap.
None of the other songs we have measured is within 8 BPM of Painkiller in a compatible key, so start from the tempo list below and match by ear.
Closest tempos regardless of key: Mo Money Mo Problems (feat. Puff Daddy & Mase) (104), Immortals (108), You Rock My World (95), All Of The Lights (94), Rockaway Beach (94).
Practising Painkiller with a metronome
Work up to 104 BPM in four passes: 62 BPM (60%) → 78 BPM (75%) → 94 BPM (90%) → 104 BPM (100%). Open the tap metronome and type 104 (or tap along to the record) to hear the click, or use the BPM calculator to turn 104 BPM into delay times in milliseconds. To change the tempo or key of your own copy without re-recording, use the pitch & speed changer.
Check your own copy of Painkiller
Studio, live, remastered and sped-up versions of the same song often differ by several BPM. Drop your file below: the analysis runs in your browser and the file is never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What is the BPM of Painkiller by Judas Priest?
Painkiller runs at 104 BPM. If you prefer to count in half time that is 52 BPM, in double time 208 BPM. One beat lasts about 577 ms. This figure is measured from a 30-second preview, so it may be off by a beat or two.
What key is Painkiller in?
We detect A minor for Painkiller, which is 8A on the Camelot wheel. Its relative key is C major (8B), and the next-door keys are 9A and 7A. Key estimates from a short preview can be off, especially on songs that change key.
What metronome speed should I use to practice Painkiller?
To learn Painkiller, start at 62 BPM (60% speed), move to 78, then 94, and finish at the full 104 BPM once every bar is clean. Half-time counting at 52 BPM also works for the slowest passes.
Which songs mix well with Painkiller?
No other song in our dataset is within 8 BPM of Painkiller in a compatible key. By key alone, tracks in 8A, 9A, 7A, 8B blend harmonically with 8A.
More songs: all measured songs · BPM & key finder · song key finder · how to find the BPM of a song