A Hanson and Beseler Online Special Reort...

All About Judas Priest...

By Christopher Hanson



Note from the Webmaster
I really don't like Judas Priest. Not really at all. However, requests from viewers have come to me asking for some info on Judas Priest. The total number of people who care about Priest is three, by the way- Jessy Klimpel, Tim Smith, and possibly Mike Vacha. All three are brain-dead.


Judas Priest is an immensely influential heavy metal band formed in 1969 in Birmingham, England by K.K. Downing and Ian Hill. The band's classic line-up consists of vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, and bassist Ian Hill. Judas Priest has influenced hundreds of musicians and bands around the world, and their popularity and influence earned them the nickname "The Metal Gods".


K.K. Downing and Ian Hill knew each other almost since birth, as they lived nearby, attended the same nursery and school. Their friendship drew closer in their early teens as they shared similar musical interests, and both started to learn playing an instrument.

In 1970 a fairly well known local ensemble named Judas Priest (after Bob Dylan's song The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest) broke up and the band's singer, Alan Atkins, approached Downing and Hill who accepted him as their singer and adopted his former band's name.


With Downing in control, the band moved swiftly from their original bluesy tunes towards what later would be defined as heavy metal. This trio, with various drummers, continued extensive touring of Birmingham and the surrounding areas until 1974. Financical difficulties and problems with their management lead to Alan Atkins' and drummer Alan Moore's departures.

At the time, Ian Hill was dating a girl who suggested her brother, Robert Halford as singer. Halford was admitted in the band, and brought with him drummer John Hinch from his previous band Hiroshima. This line-up toured heavily in the UK.


Before the band entered the studio to record their first album, the record company suggested another musician should join them. Reluctant to add an organ or trumpet player, Downing settled on another guitarist, Glenn Tipton. After recording a half-dozen records over a handful of years, the band further explored the possibilities of heavy metal genre, employing such talented drummers as session player extraordinaire Simon Phillips and Les (James Leslie) Binks. The album Killing Machine marked a new turn in the creative direction Judas Priest were taking: the songs were shorter and had commercial appeal, yet were performed with a lot of metal punch. This emphasis on simple, albeit relentless and powerful beats that needed to be performed live with equal power led to Les Binks, a jazzy type of drummer, leaving, and Dave Holland becoming their new drummer. Further down the road with Holland, the band recorded British Steel, which was considered a breakthrough album, with its dark, heavy approach. It showcased the newcomer's excellent timekeeping and power. With this line-up, Judas Priest recorded fourteen albums to different degrees of critical and financial success. Overall, the band has sold in excess of 35 million albums globally.

In 1991, Halford left Judas Priest due to several years of internal tensions in the band. Rumors started to circulate as early as September of 1991, although Halford collaborated with the band 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. His departure from the band was officially announced later that year. Tim "Ripper" Owens was hired as Judas Priest's singer. Owens' story of turning from fan to frontman was the inspiration for the film Rock Star, although Owens did not actually participate in the production of the movie. 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 with the film; perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the film (starring Mark Wahlberg) was a critical and commercial flop. However, aside from this distraction, that line up released two albums.


After almost twelve years apart, Judas Priest and original lead vocalist Rob Halford announced their reunion in July 2003. They immediately embarked on a live concert tour in 2004, and co-headlined the 2004 Ozzfest, being named as the "premier act" by almost all U.S. media coverage of the event. Both tours were extremely successful. A new studio album, Angel of Retribution, was released on 1 March 2005 to critical and commercial success. A global tour in support of the album is currently underway. Judas Priest and 'Ripper' Owens parted amicably, and Owens is now the singer of American heavy metal band Iced Earth.




Aaron Beseler
Chris Hanson