Judas Priest

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Judas Priest

---

Img_capt = Judas Priest onstage in Moline, Illinois.
Img_size = 250
Landscape = Yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Birmingham, England
Years_active = 1970–present
Label = Epic, Columbia, CMC, Koch, RCA, Gull
Associated_acts = Trapeze, Fight, The Flying Hat Band, Halford, 2wo, Racer X, Iced Earth, Al Atkins, Beyond Fear
URL = [http://www.judaspriest.com Official website]
Current_members = Rob Halford Glenn Tipton K. K. Downing Ian Hill Scott Travis
Past_members = See: Judas Priest former members

Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. Judas Priest's core line-up consists of bass player Ian Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing; their current drummer is Scott Travis. They have been cited as an influence on many heavy metal musicians and bands. Their popularity and status as one of the definitive heavy metal bands has earned them the nickname "Metal Gods", from their song of the same name. [cite book |last=Berelian |first=Essi |title=The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal |publisher=Rough Guides |id= 1-84353-415-0 |pages=pg. 172] They have sold over 35 million albums worldwide.Fact|date=June 2008

History

Origins

K. K. Downing and Ian Hill knew each other since their early childhoods, as they lived nearby, attended the same nursery and school in West Bromwich. They became closer friends in their early teens, when they shared similar musical interests (Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Cream, the Yardbirds) and learned to play instruments. The band was founded in 1968 in Birmingham/England and in 1970, after a local ensemble named Judas Priest (after Bob Dylan's song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" Fact|date=August 2008 from the "John Wesley Harding" album) broke up, the band's singer, Al Atkins, approached Downing and Hill, who were playing as a power trio with drummer John Ellis, and asked to be their vocalist. With Atkins now in the band, Downing desired to use the Judas Priest moniker, having been a fan of the name for years.

With Downing as leader, the band moved from their original bluesy tunes towards heavy rock and what would later come to be defined as early heavy metal. This quartet played around Birmingham and the surrounding areas with various drummers until 1974, sometimes opening for bands such as Budgie, Thin Lizzy and Trapeze. Eventually, financial difficulties and problems with their management, Tony Iommi's company, IMA, led to the departure of Alan Atkins and drummer Alan Moore.

At the time, Ian Hill was dating a woman from nearby town Walsall who suggested her brother, Bob Halford [ [http://members.firstinter.net/markster/BEGINNINGS.html Judas Priest Info Pages - Forging The Metal ] ] , be considered as a singer. Halford joined the band, bringing drummer John Hinch from his previous band, Hiroshima. This line-up toured in the UK, often supporting Budgie, and even headlined in some shows in Norway and Germany.

Rocka Rolla

Before the band entered the studio to record their first album, the record company suggested the band add another musician. As Downing was reluctant to add a keyboard player or horn player, he chose to add another lead guitarist, Glenn Tipton, from the Stafford-based Flying Hat Band. Tipton reworked existing material and took over as main song writer. In August 1974, the band debuted with the single "Rocka Rolla", before releasing an album of the same name a month later.

There were technical problems during the recording which led to poor sound quality. Producer Rodger Bain, whose CV included Black Sabbath's first three albums as well as Budgie's first album, dominated the production of the album and made decisions with which the band did not agree [ [http://members.firstinter.net/markster/ROCKAROLLA.html Judas Priest Info Pages - Rocka Rolla ] ] Bain also chose to leave fan favorites from the band's live performances, such as "Tyrant", "Genocide", and "The Ripper", off the album. He cut the song "Caviar and Meths" from a 10-minute song down to a 2-minute instrumental.

With their next album, recorded during January and February of 1976, the band participated more in the production and chose the producers. The result, "Sad Wings of Destiny" (1976), included a variety of old material, including the aforementioned stage favorites and the epic "Victim of Changes". This song combined "Whiskey Woman", a stage classic since the era of the first Judas Priest (Al Atkins' band) and "Red Light Lady" brought by Halford from his previous group, Hiroshima. This album and a strong 1975 performance at the Reading Festival helped to build their fanbase.

Les Binks Era

The next album, 1977's "Sin After Sin" used session drummer Simon Phillips while Les (James Leslie) Binks supported the tour. 1978's "Stained Class" and "Killing Machine" (released in America as "Hell Bent for Leather") were also supported by Les Binks. Binks, credited with writing the very powerful "Beyond the Realms of Death", was a very technically skilled drummer. Binks also played on Unleashed in the East which was recorded live in Japan during the Killing Machine tour. "Killing Machine" had shorter songs that had more commercial appeal while still retaining their heavy metal punch.

Mainstream success

Following the release of "Killing Machine", and the live release from the supporting tour, entitled "Unleashed in the East". It was the first of many Judas Priest albums to go Platinum. At the time, there was some criticism of the bands' use of studio-enhancements and overdubbing in what was marketed as a live album. [cite news | url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:f9fyxq95ldse| title= Unleashed in the East > Overview' | publisher=Allmusic.com |accessdate = 2007-04-23] Nonetheless, many early Priest classics are recorded here, such as "Victim of Changes", "Tyrant", "Genocide", and "The Ripper".

After Les Binks quit, in part because of the band's direction, the band replaced him with Dave Holland, formerly from the band Trapeze. With this line-up, Judas Priest recorded six studio and one live album which garnered different degrees of critical and financial success. Overall, the band has sold in excess of 30 million albums globally. [cite news | url=http://judaspriest.com/biog/TheEssentialJudasPriest.asp| title=Judas Priest CD & DVD release on Sony BMG' | publisher=JudasPriest.com |accessdate = 2007-04-23]

In 1980, the band released "British Steel". The songs were shorter and had more mainstream radio hooks, but retained the heavy metal feel. Tracks such as "United", "Breaking the Law", and "Living After Midnight" were frequently played on the radio. The next release, 1981's "Point of Entry", followed the same formula, but critics generally panned it. However, the tour in support was successful, with new songs such as "Solar Angels" and "Heading Out to the Highway".

The 1982 album "Screaming for Vengeance" featured the song "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", which garnered strong US radio airplay. Songs such as "Electric Eye" and "Riding on the Wind" also appeared off this album, and proved to be popular live tracks. "(Take These) Chains" (by Bob Halligan, Jr.) was released as a single and received heavy airplay. This album went two times Platinum. [cite news | url=http://members.firstinter.net/markster/SCREAMINGFORVENGEANCE.html| title=Screaming for Vengeance Info Page | publisher=Judas Priest Info Pages]

"Defenders of the Faith" was released in 1984. Even though it was more progressive than their earlier efforts, some critics dubbed it as "Screaming for Vengeance II", due to its musical likeness to the previous album. [cite news | url=http://members.firstinter.net/markster/DEFENDERSOFTHEFAITH.html| title=Defenders of the Faith Info Page | publisher=Judas Priest Info Pages] .

On July 13th, 1985, Judas Priest was - apart from Black Sabbath - the only metal band to perform at the Live Aid event. The band played at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Their setlist was "Living After Midnight", "The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)" and "(You've Got) Another Thing Comin'".

"Turbo" was released in 1986, during the glam metal era. To keep up with the times, Priest adopted a more colourful look and gave their music a more poppy feel by adding synthesisers. The album also went Platinum and had a successful tour in support, but some critics argued the album was a sellout. A live album recorded on the tour, titled "Priest... Live!", was released the next year, offering fans live tracks from the 1980s era. The video documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" was created by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn in 1986. It documents the heavy metal fans waiting on May 31, 1986 for a Judas Priest concert (with special guests Dokken) at the Capital Centre (later renamed US Airways Arena) in Landover, Maryland.

In 1988, "Ram it Down" was released, featuring several reworked songs left over from "Turbo", in addition to new songs. A reviewer has called "Ram it Down" a "stylistic confusion" of "cornball metal" that resulted from the band's "...attempt to rid themselves of the high tech synthesiser approach...and return to the traditional metal of their fading glory days." The reviewer argued the album showed "...how far behind they were lagging...the thrashers they helped influence" in earlier years. [ [http://www.kickedintheface.com/reviews/Judas_Priest-Ram_It_Down.htm Judas Priest - Ram It Down review ] ] As well, in the late 1980s, longtime drummer Dave Holland left the band.

In 1990, the "Painkiller" album used a new drummer, Scott Travis (formerly from Racer X). This comeback album dropped the 1980s-style synthesisers for all of the songs except a ballad entitled "A Touch of Evil." The tour used bands such as Pantera, Megadeth and Sepultura as opening bands, and culminated in the Rock in Rio performance in Brazil in front of 100,000+ music fans.

Part of the Judas Priest stage show often featured Rob Halford riding onstage on a Harley-Davidson motorbike, dressed in motorcycle leathers and sunglasses. In a Toronto show in 1991, Halford was seriously injured as he rode on stage, when he collided with a drum riser that was hidden behind clouds of dry ice mist. Although the show was delayed, he performed the entire set before going to hospital. Hill later noted "he must have been in agony". He later claimed the accident helped to prompt his departure from the band. [VH1 - Behind The Music - Judas Priest] [cite news | url=http://members.firstinter.net/markster/PAINKILLER.html| title=Painkiller Info Page | publisher=Judas Priest Info Pages] For nearly five years, Priest remained in the shadows, with no release to top "Painkiller."

ubliminal message trial

In the summer of 1990, the band was involved in a civil action that alleged they were responsible for the suicide attempts in 1985 of 20-year old James Vance and 19-year old Ray Belknap in Reno, Nevada, USA;cite news | url=http://www.csicop.org/si/9611/judas_priest.html | title=Scientific Consensus and Expert Testimony: Lessons from the Judas Priest Trial | publisher=Skeptical Inquirer |date=November/December 1996 | first=Timothy | last=Moore | accessdate = 2006-11-18] The trial lasted from July 16 to August 24. On December 23, 1985 Vance and Belknap got intoxicated then went to a playground at a Lutheran church in Reno. Belknap shot a 12 gauge shotgun under his chin, dying instantly, and Vance followed, but survived with a severely disfigured face. He died three years later after a suicidal overdose of painkillers. [cite news | url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=38769| title=The Judas Priest Trial: 15 Years Later | publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date= July 1, 2005 | first=Candy | last=Cooper |accessdate = 2006-11-18]

The men's parents and their legal team alleged that a subliminal message of "do it" had been included in the Judas Priest song "Better By You, Better Than Me" from the "Stained Class" album (actually a cover of a Spooky Tooth number). They alleged the command in the song triggered the suicide attempt. The suit was eventually dismissed. One of the defense witnesses, Dr Timothy E. Moore, wrote an article for "Skeptical Inquirer" chronicling the trial.

The trial was covered in the 1991 documentary [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5636910946432086857 "Dream Deceivers: The Story Behind James Vance Vs. Judas Priest"] . In the documentary Halford commented that, if they wanted to insert subliminal commands in their music, killing their fans would be counterproductive and they would prefer to insert the command "Buy more of our records". Regarding the plaintiff's assertions that the statement "do it" was a command to commit suicide, Halford pointed out "do it" had no direct message.

Halford leaves

After the end of the "Painkiller" tour in 1991, Halford left Judas Priest. In September 1991, there were indications of internal tensions within the band. Halford went on to form a street-style thrash metal group named Fight in the summer of 1993 with Scott Travis on drums for the recording sessions. He formed this band due to his desire to explore new musical territory, but due to contractual obligations, he left Judas Priest in May 1992. [cite news | url=http://members.firstinter.net/markster/WAROFWORDS.html| title=War of Words Info Page | publisher=Judas Priest Info Pages]

Halford collaborated with Judas Priest in the release of a compilation album entitled "Metal Works '73-'93" to commemorate their 20th anniversary. He also appeared in a video by the same title, documenting their history, in which his departure from the band was officially announced later that year.

In a 1998 interview on MTV, Halford also revealed his homosexuality, but it came as little surprise to fans as rumours had been circulating for over five years. Halford's former bandmates in Priest stated they were previously aware of his sexual orientation.

Ripper Owens

Tim "Ripper" Owens, who had previously sung in a Judas Priest tribute band called British Steel, was hired in 1996 as Judas Priest's new singer. This line up released two albums, "Jugulator" and "Demolition" as well as two live double-albums - "'98 Live Meltdown" and "Live in London", the latter of which had a live DVD counterpart. "Jugulator" sold relatively well but "Demolition" did not sit well with fans or mainstream alike; most believed Ripper could not be a true replacement for Halford's vocal abilities.

Owens' move from fan and weekend tribute band singer to frontman for the actual band was the inspiration for the film "Rock Star". Because the film's content bore only a tangential resemblance to Owens's actual history with the band, Judas Priest later moved to disassociate themselves from the film. The film (starring Mark Wahlberg) was a critical and commercial flop, though the fictional band portrayed in the film - Steel Dragon - achieved a cult status among some heavy metal and Judas Priest fans.

On August 15, 2002 PETA, an animal rights group, sent the band's management a request to stop wearing leather onstage. It was even reported that they asked the band to change the name of their "Hell Bent for Leather" album to "Hell Bent for Pleather". Judas Priest responded that they wear artificial leather, but PETA still protested that this could encourage listeners to wear real leather. [ [http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=1211&pf=true Hell Bent for Pleather] , from peta.org]

Reunion

After almost twelve years apart, as well as an ever-growing demand for a reunion, Judas Priest and original lead vocalist Rob Halford announced they would reunite in July 2003, to coincide with the release of the Metalogy box set. They did a live concert tour in Europe in 2004, and co-headlined the 2004 Ozzfest, being named as the "premier act" by almost all U.S. media coverage of the event.

A new studio album, "Angel of Retribution", was released on 1 March 2005 (U.S.) on Sony Music/Epic Records to critical and commercial success. A global tour in support of the album ensued, and was hugely successful. Judas Priest and "Ripper" Owens parted amicably, with Owens joining American heavy metal band Iced Earth as the lead singer to record the album The Glorious Burden, released in 2004 and its follow-up Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part 1) in 2007 by SPV Records. Ripper left Iced Earth in December 2007 [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=86574] to head his current band called Beyond Fear, whose self-titled debut was release in May 2006, also by SPV Records. He's also currently the singer for guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen.

As for the band Halford, writing for the fourth release was cut off. However, after the Retribution tour in June 2006, Halford announced he would create his own record company, entitled Metal God Entertainment, where he would release all his solo material under his own control. In November 2006 he remastered his back catalog and released it exclusively through Apple's iTunes Store. Two new songs allegedly set for the fourth release, "Forgotten Generation" and "Drop Out", were released through iTunes as well.

VH1 Rock Honors

Along with Kiss, Queen, and Def Leppard, Judas Priest were the inaugural inductees into the "VH1 Rock Honors." The ceremony took place May 25, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and first aired on May 31, 2006. Their presentation was preceded by the band Godsmack performing a medley of "Electric Eye"/"Victim of Changes"/"Hell Bent for Leather", and Priest themselves played "Breaking the Law", "The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)" and "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", before which Halford rode a Harley onstage. On April 6, 2006, the Associated Press announced the event by saying "the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looks to be getting some competition."

Recent events

On April 10, 2008, Blabbermouth.net reported that "Nostradamus" would be released in Germany on June 13, 2008, Europe on June 16 and a day later in the United States. [cite news | url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=94645 | title=Judas Priest: 'Nostradamus' German Release Date Revealed | publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date= April 10, 2008 | first= | last= |accessdate = 2008-04-11]

In a June 2006 interview with MTV.com, frontman Rob Halford said in regards to the group's upcoming concept album about the legendary 16th century French prophet Nostradamus, "Nostradamus is all about metal, isn't he? He was an alchemist as well as a seer — a person of extraordinary talent. He had an amazing life that was full of trial and tribulation and joy and sorrow. He's a very human character and a world-famous individual. You can take his name and translate it into any language and everybody knows about him, and that's important because we're dealing with a worldwide audience." [cite news | url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=58296| title=Work On New Album Is 'Going Incredibly Well' | publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date= September 12, 2006 | first= | last= |accessdate = 2006-11-18]

In addition to digging new lyrical ground for the band, the album will contain musical elements which might surprise their fans. "It's going to have a lot of depth", Halford said. "There'll be a lot of symphonic elements. We might orchestrate it, without it being overblown. There may be a massive choir at parts and keyboards will be featured more prominently, whereas they've always been in the background before." [cite news | url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=58296| title=Work On New Album Is 'Going Incredibly Well' | publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date= September 12, 2006 | first= | last= |accessdate = 2006-11-18]

In addition to this, in a February 2007 interview with Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, K. K. Downing revealed they have recorded a total of 18 tracks, with a length of over 90 minutes. He notes there is not much he would like to cut down, so it will likely be a double-CD release, their first full-length LP to do so. He adds that Rob Halford's vocal tracks are currently being laid down, and the rhythm will most likely follow suit. Downing also reveals the current orchestrations are MIDI converters, and he does not know if an outside orchestra will be used. [cite news | url=http://www.metal-rules.com/news.php?months=2007-02#4006| title= JUDAS PRIEST New Album: 18 songs/90+mins! | publisher=Metal-Rules.com |date= February 19, 2007| accessdate = 2007-02-26]

Judas Priest announced, via their website, on November 22, 2007 that they would go on tour promoting their Nostradamus-themed album. The tour opened in Helsinki, Finland on June 3, 2008 and is scheduled to go through Europe, North America, Australia, South Korea, Japan. After a few weeks off the tour resumes in Mexico, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In February 2009, Judas Priest continue their tour when they bring their 'Priest Feast' for several arena dates with support from guests Megadeth and Testament. They will play Sheffield Arena, Birmingham LG Arena, Glasgow SECC Hall, Manchester Arena, Nottingham Arena, Cardiff Arena, Wembley Arena in London.Sat 02/28/09. The Nostradamus tour will then continue on to Ireland, with dates on Tuesday 02/10/09 Dublin, Wednesday 02/11/09 Belfast. From there it moves to Sweden. Saturday 02/28/09 Stockholm, Sunday 03/01/09 Goteborg, and Wednesday 03/04/09 in a city called Malmo.

In video games

In the 2000s, Priest has become known to a new generation thanks to their music being included on the soundtracks of several popular video games. The 2006 PC and Xbox 360 video game, "Prey" and the PlayStation 2 2005 console games "Guitar Hero" and "RoadKill" include "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" on their soundtrack, as does 2002's ', which features the song on rock station V-Rock. In the prequel, 2006's ', V-Rock features the song "Electric Eye". "RoadKill" also includes "Heading Out to the Highway", back-to-back with the aforementioned song on its classic rock pseudo-radio station.

', also features "Electric Eye", including its intro, "The Hellion". The 2001 PlayStation 2 video game, ' features "Turbo Lover" on the game's soundtrack. Its sequel "Gran Turismo 4" features "Freewheel Burning". The song "Breaking the Law" is also featured on the soundtrack to the 2006 PC, PS2 and Xbox game "". Additionally, Harmonix announced on April 18, 2008 that the first full-album available for download for the very popular video game "Rock Band" would be Judas Priest's "Screaming for Vengeance". The album became available on April 22 for Xbox 360 and April 24 for Playstation 3. Its sequel, "Rock Band 2" features "Painkiller"

Musical style and influence

Judas Priest were one of the first heavy metal bands to modernize the twin-guitar sound, with the duo of K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. They combined this sound with Rob Halford's unique vocal style create their own unique style of heavy-rock. They are cited often for their influence on heavy metal and the root sound of the guitar work in speed metal and thrash metal.

Many people, including influential musicians and members of prominent hard rock and heavy metal bands, believe that among the foundations for what would define "pure" heavy metal were three early Judas Priest albums: "Sad Wings of Destiny" (1976), "Sin After Sin" (1977), and "Stained Class" (1978).

The band often played faster than most rock groups of the time and brought a more "metallic" sound to the guitars. The songs varied from simple and straightforward tunes (e.g. "Starbreaker") to fairly structured material, changing from fast and loud to slower tempo and softer tunes in one song (e.g., "Victim of Changes", "Run of the Mill", "Beyond the Realms of Death"). Some songs, such as 1978's "Exciter", were groundbreaking for their sheer ferocity and speed; others, like "Dissident Aggressor", "Sinner" and "Tyrant", are considered to be the heaviest songs of their day, and today are considered classic metal tracks.

Their 1978 album "Killing Machine" (retitled "Hell Bent for Leather" and released in 1979 in the USA) saw a change of direction towards shorter, poppier, more American-influenced songs. The following release, "British Steel", (April 14, 1980), took an even sharper turn in the same direction and was perhaps the first heavy metal album to record radio-friendly songs with pop hooks, in a concise format.

The band's next effort, "Point of Entry" (February 26, 1981), is harder to define — the sound was very "raw" (i.e. minimal sound manipulation) and the songs were somewhat moody, and paced at a slower than usual tempo. As guitarist Glenn Tipton later admitted, "Point of Entry" had the tough task of living up to the standards set by its predecessor, and failed to do so. Subsequent albums "Screaming for Vengeance" (July 17, 1982), which contained the popular radio hit "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", and "Defenders of the Faith" (January 4, 1984) once again set high standards in intensity and production, and continued to influence the sonic shape of heavy metal. "Turbo" (April 15, 1986) found the group introducing a "synth-guitar" sound to their metal template.

"Ram It Down" (1988), an album containing several cast-off and reworked tracks from the previous album "Turbo" [ [http://members.firstinter.net/markster/TURBO.html Judas Priest Info Pages - Turbo ] ] , including the eponymous tune, garnered little commercial attention. The style was heavier than the material found on "Turbo" but still contained the synth elements of the previous release.

For "Painkiller" (1990) Judas Priest returned to a more straightforward heavy metal style with more technical and double-bass drumming from new member Scott Travis. This album represents one of the heaviest and most intense in the band's discography, with Halford's trademark high-pitched wail rising to an ear-splitting shriek on certain tracks. Indeed, Florida death metal band Death have even covered the title track on their album The Sound of Perseverance.

Judas Priest also released two albums with Tim 'Ripper' Owens following Rob Halford's departure. "Jugulator" (1997) was given mixed reviews, although it contains the epic "Cathedral Spires" which became one of Ripper's more popular songs. "Demolition" (2001) was generally considered another disappointment, although holding some memorable tracks.

Judas Priest's "Angel of Retribution" (2005), which was Rob Halford's first Judas Priest album since 1990, contributed to the current revival of classic heavy metal. It contains songs in the band's classic style, such as "Judas Rising" and "Hellrider", as well as mid-tempo songs with clear and prominent drums and less prominent guitars ("Worth Fighting For", "Wheels of Fire"), a ballad ("Angel"), and the epic ("Lochness") which runs 13:28, a length of song the band had not done since its concerts in the early 1970s.

The latest installment in the Judas Priest discography, "Nostradamus" was released in June 2008. The double-CD/triple-LP concept album details the life of the 16th century French prophet Michel de Nostredame. The style is mostly slow to mid-paced heavy metal, though some songs (particularly the title track) still display the band's trademark speed metal sound.

Influence on the genre

Judas Priest have influenced all metal music since the late-mid 70s either directly or indirectly. Their influence was so important that MTV.com named Judas Priest the second most important band in heavy metal, just behind Black Sabbath. [cite news | url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/071406/| title=Greatest Metal Bands of All Time | publisher=MTV.com]

In addition to the sound, Judas Priest are also known for being revolutionaries in heavy metal fashion. Rob Halford began incorporating a macho/biker/S&M style into his look as early as 1978 (to coincide with the release of their album "Killing Machine"), and the rest of the band followed. It became a mainstay in heavy metal; soon, several other bands, particularly of the NWOBHM and early black metal movements, began incorporating Halford's fashion into their look as well. [cite news | url=http://members.firstinter.net/markster/KILLINGMACHINE.html| title=Hell Bent for Leather/Killing Machine Info Page | publisher=Judas Priest Info Pages] This sparked a revival in metal in the early '80s, and catapulted them to fame, in both the mainstream and underground. Even in the present, it is not uncommon to find metal artists sporting such a look at concerts.

On a few occasions Judas Priest music has also served as score music to serve the heavy metal cliché. A good example is an episode of the German crime investigation series "Derrick" called "Verlorene Würde" ("Lost Dignity"), first aired 31 May 1991. In this episode a young drug addict is also a fan of heavy metal music. As he is quizzed by the police in his apartment, "Painkiller" by Judas Priest and "Psycho Holiday" by Pantera play from the stereo system.

Band members

Current members

*Rob Halford – lead vocals, harmonica (1973–1993, 2003–present)
*Glenn Tipton – guitars, keyboards, piano, synthesizer, guitar synthesizer, backing vocals (1974–present)
*K. K. Downing – guitars, guitar synthesizer, backing vocals (1970–present)
*Ian Hill – bass guitar, backing vocals (1970–present)
*Scott Travis – drums, percussion (1989–present)

Former members

*Al Atkins – lead vocals (1970–1973)
*John Ellis – drums, percussion (1970–1971)
*Chris Campbell – drums, percussion (1972–1973)
*Alan Moore – drums, percussion (1971–1972, 1975–1976)
*John Hinch – drums, percussion (1973–1975)
*Les Binks – drums, percussion (1977–1979)
*Dave Holland – drums, percussion (1979–1989)
*Tim "Ripper" Owens – lead vocals (1996–2003)

ession musicians

*Simon Phillips – drums, percussion on "Sin After Sin" (1977 – all tracks)
*Don Airey – keyboards, synthesizer on "Painkiller" (1990 – track "A Touch of Evil"), "Demolition" (2001 – multiple tracks), "Angel of Retribution" (2005 – multiple tracks), "Nostradamus" (2008 – multiple tracks)
*Jeff Martin – backing vocals on "Turbo" (1986 – track "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days")
*Tom Allom – milk and beer bottle smashing on "British Steel" (1980 – track "Breaking the Law")

Discography

*"Rocka Rolla" (1974)
*"Sad Wings of Destiny" (1976)
*"Sin After Sin" (1977)
*"Stained Class" (1978)
*"Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather" (1978/1979)
*"British Steel" (1980)
*"Point of Entry" (1981)
*"Screaming for Vengeance" (1982)
*"Defenders of the Faith" (1984)
*"Turbo" (1986)
*"Ram It Down" (1988)
*"Painkiller" (1990)
*"Jugulator" (1997)
*"Demolition" (2001)
*"Angel of Retribution" (2005)
*"Nostradamus" (2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.judaspriest.com/home/default.asp Judas Priest] – Official website
*
* [http://www.robhalford.com Rob Halford] – Official website
*cite news | url=http://www.csicop.org/si/9611/judas_priest.html | title=Scientific Consensus and Expert Testimony: Lessons from the Judas Priest Trial | publisher=Skeptical Inquirer |date=November/December 1996 | first=Timothy | last=Moore |
*cite news | url=http://www.reversespeech.com/judas.htm | title=Subliminal messages, heavy metal music and teen-age suicide | publisher=San Francisco Examiner |date=September 29, 1989 | first=Candy | last=Cooper |
*cite news | url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=38769| title=The Judas Priest Trial: 15 Years Later | publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date= July 1, 2005 | first= | last= |

Interviews

* [http://www.maximumthreshold.net/index.php?option=com_weblinks&task=view&catid=13&id=133 Tim "Ripper" Owens interview on Maximum Threshold Radio Show]
* [http://podcast.maximumthreshold.net/podcast/?p=53 Episode Interview on MT]
* [http://iesb.net/audiofrequency/content/view/456/ Interview with K.K Downing on Audio Frequency]