FEATURE:
British Steel
IN THIS PHOTO: Judas Priest (from left) Scott Travis, Ian Hill, Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner/PHOTO CREDIT: Justin Borucki
The Iconic Judas Priest at Fifty
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I’LL start this with a bit…
of information from Wikipedia that gives a sort of potted history of the brilliant Judas Priest: “Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in West Bromwich in 1969. They have sold over 50 million copies of their albums, and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band had struggled with indifferent record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when they rose to commercial success with the album British Steel”. It was that album, British Steel, when Judas Priest came to my attention. I grew up listening to a lot of different genres, but Metal was not a big part. I think Judas Priest helped make Metal more accessible, and I was stunned by their incredible power and the brilliant vocals of Rob Halford. The great man has released his autobiography, Confess, and it is a book I would recommend everyone check out:
“Rob Halford, front man of global iconic metal band Judas Priest, is a true 'Metal God'. Raised in Britain's hard-working heavy industrial heartland he and his music were forged in the Black Country. CONFESS, his full autobiography, is an unforgettable rock 'n' roll story - a journey from a Walsall council estate to musical fame via alcoholism, addiction, police cells, ill-starred sexual trysts and bleak personal tragedy, through to rehab, coming out, redemption... and finding love.
Now, he is telling his gospel truth.
Told with Halford's trademark self-deprecating, deadpan Black Country humour, CONFESS is the story of an extraordinary five decades in the music industry. It is also the tale of unlikely encounters with everybody from Superman to Andy Warhol, Madonna, Jack Nicholson and the Queen. More than anything else, it's a celebration of the fire and power of heavy metal”.
It is an exciting year in the Judas Priest camp, even though they cannot tour. They have been together five decades, and they must surely rank alongside the most-popular and influential Metal bands of all time. Certainty, in terms of their firepower and character, the band are well above many of their peers. I am going to end the feature with a Judas Priest playlist but, if you are a fan of the band, you might be interested to know that a huge photobook is coming out in December. Ultimate Classic Rock provide some more details about what we can expect:
“Judas Priest are commemorating their history with a 648-page coffee table book called Judas Priest -- 50 Heavy Metal Years.
Arriving in early December, it's the first authorized book about the band, with contributions from all current members of the group, as well as journalist Mark Blake. 50 Heavy Metal Years also contains hundreds of photographs from Ross Halfin, Neil Zlozower, Mark Weiss, Fin Costello, Oliver Halfin and others. Mark Wilkinson, who created the artwork for six Judas Priest albums, designed the cover.
“We spearheaded the visual image of metal - breathing new life into it and it has been captured forever in the pages of this book,” guitarist Glenn Tipton said in a press release.
“I've photographed Judas Priest from 1978 until now and of all the bands I’ve worked with they are one of the most enjoyable to me," photographer Ross Halfin, who helped compile the book, added. "You have to love the mighty Priest.”
There will be four versions of 50 Heavy Metal Years. The Standard Edition (pictured above) comes in a cloth slipcase with red foil, while the Deluxe Edition, limited to 500 numbered copies, is bound in black leather with gold foil and a lenticular image on the front, and also contains a fold-out poster.
Only 100 copies will be made of the Glenn Tipton Parkinson’s Foundation Charity Edition, which contains a blue cover and is housed in a cloth slipcase with blue foil. All proceeds go to the Glenn Tipton Parkinson’s Foundation, created in 2018 after the guitarist revealed that he was diagnosed with the condition. These three editions measure 12"x12".
Finally, there is the Epic Leather and Metal Edition, which is 16"x16" and comes in die cut black metal slipcase. The book, restricted to 100 copies, is bound in padded black leather with gold foil and a lenticular image, with a poster included. All but the Standard Edition are personally signed by Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, Richie Faulkner and Scott Travis”.
The band’s eighteenth studio album, Firepower, was released in 2018 and is aptly-named! It features Rob Halford – vocals, Glenn Tipton – guitars, Richie Faulkner – guitars, Ian Hill – bass guitars, and Scott Travis – drums; a solid and incredible band who sound as potent and good now – the core of the original band – as they did back at the beginning! It seems like there is no stopping Judas Priest (and who would want to?!), and I am glad they are marking fifty years together – some bands feel uncomfortable and do not necessarily want to look back at all. Although the line-up has gone through some shifts through the years – there was a revolving cast of drummers in the 1970s and Rob Halford departed in 1992. The American singer Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens replaced Halford in 1996 and recorded two albums with Judas Priest, before Halford returned to the band in 2003 -, I think Halford’s leadership and the band’s consistently-brilliant recordings will stand the test of time and are influencing young bands today. Also, the fact that Rob Halford is openly gay will give strength and guidance to members of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community and artists who might feel hesitant about coming out – there is still a long way to go in terms of equality, openness and acceptance. I want to quote from a couple of interviews before finishing things off. Rob Halford spoke with REVOLVER in 2018, where he talked about Judas Priest’s legacy.
I want to source quotes from Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton, who speak with affection towards the band and Halford:
“The Priest audience, built over decades, also accepted the younger player, without excessive angst. "I really felt like there was a healthy skepticism because they care so much, but after 30 seconds of a live set, they were with me," says Faulkner, who, at 38, was born the year British Steel was released. "They knew it was going to be OK and the band was going to be OK."
For the longtime survivors within Judas Priest, being back at a peak moment of urgency and creativity is especially welcome as they get further down the road. "You never know what's around the corner. It's been a bad couple of years, really. People have been dropping like flies," says Tipton, who lost a good friend with the 2015 death of Lemmy Kilmister. At least the future of Priest still looks loud and open-ended. "Rob's vocals are unbelievable. I mean, he's getting on like we all are and his voice hasn't suffered at all," Tipton says. "He can still hit those high notes. His vocal abilities are second to none".
2018 was when we saw an album from the band, and I feel there will be more recordings ahead. It seems like the band are all still very much on the same page and connected, so who knows how long Judas Priest can keep going for! I want to bring in an interview from Bandwagon of 2018, as Halford discussed what it was like still being acclaimed and respected after all these years – and what he feels the band’s legacy is:
“Earlier this year, you released Firepower, one of the band’s best records. How does it feel to see the music you release get such love from critics and fans alike after having spent so long in the industry?
It's a mixture of emotions. We're definitely very humbled, extremely grateful, thrilled, motivated, it's just an incredibly uplifting time for Judas Priest and I think it also reemphasizes the fact that music kind of takes a life of its own when you release to your fans around the world. It connects the metal family, the Judas Priest family and in Singapore. Those are the emotions that pop into my head almost immediately: Just a lot of gratefulness.
How does it feel to be constantly referred to and immortalized as one of the greatest bands of all time?
It's a beautiful thing. We never expected these kind of accolades and awards. It's absolutely fabulous and it feels good, it makes us feel like our efforts and sacrifices have paid off. It also makes you more determined to do the best job you can do so we welcome that type of claims. It comes from the industry and more importantly, the fans and so it's encouraging. We're very grateful to receive it.
The band has been around for close to 50 years. When all is said and done, and Judas Priest calls it a day, what is the legacy you wish to leave behind?
I think it would be the legacy of a band that worked really hard for decades. It's a band that tried to be innovative and tried to break the rules and boundaries of what music can be or do. We've experimented with many types of metal because we're always trying to give fans a complete experience with Judas Priest.
We've given millions of our fans a great time, wether they're just listening to us at home or even at a concert. All of those things, all of those metal memories will be cherished and I'm sure that we'll making great memories one more time when we return to Singapore this December with BABYMETAL”.
I wanted to give a salute to the legendary Judas Priest, and offer congratulations on fifty years of them changing and bettering the music world! I am going to check out their photobook when it comes out, and Halford’s autobiography is going to be well worth a read! To end, I am have put together some Judas Priest classics that demonstrate why they…
ARE so beloved.