JUDAS PRIEST’S METAL GOD ROB HALFORD DISCUSSES HIS VOICE AND HIS FAVORITE SCREAM
Blabbermouth.net reports:
On September 3rd, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford called in to Chaz & AJ, the morning radio talk show program on 99.1 WPLR, a rock radio station broadcasting from Milford, Connecticut.
When asked what his favorite scream is in all the songs that he record, Halford replied, “Actually, there’s a new scream for everybody on the new Redeemer Of Souls album, we have a track called Halls Of Valhalla, and there’s a little moment in that song where it kind of breaks down and I do this ungodly, unearthly scream and I don’t know where it came from. In fact, we kept it from one of the demo rehearsals that we were doing, because it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime things that you do once and you can’t exactly get it right again. So check that out, because that’s my current favorite heavy metal scream.”
When questioned if he is still able to pull off the scream every night in concert, Halford replied, “Yeah, I am, I am. And it’s one of those things where I love it so much and I am just so stoked by standing on stage still, 40 years later, still screaming my head off and having the time of my life, along with Glenn [Tipton] and Richie [Faulkner] and Scott [Travis] and Ian [Hill].”
In a July 2014 interview with the Birmingham Mail, Halford stated about how his vocal performance has evolved over the years: “The voice changes obviously. The trick is just to look after it — don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs. I look after my voice these days, and still belt it out. When I was a raging drunk and drug addict, I really abused my voice. Thank God I realized I was doing some stupid things. You can damage your voice, and find that you can’t do softer things in your music.”
additional source: blabbermouth.net
Great comments!! I am pleasantly surprised by his answer for “Valhalla” and I am curious if they play that on the upcoming tour. I hope they do! The song gives me goose bumps and brings me back to Classic Priest! I hope to hear them belt it out in Atlanta in October!
How about one no one has mentioned….LOVE BITES!!
Rock Hard, Ride Free Dana!
Hi Louis (waving),
Nice to see you my Priest co-pilot. United we stand.
D 🙂
Woop woop! Waiving back to you from the ATL! Hope all is great up there and continue Ramming it Down! HA!
“Valhalla’? You and me both Louis, but I’m sure they’ll play it on the upcoming tour, they put too much work into it not to. “Valhalla” live will definitely be a test for Rob, but I’m sure he’ll pass it, he’s never failed us before! If anybody can still hit those notes, The Metal God can! 🙂
Amen Doug!! I sure do hope they play it…let’s see if he can hit those low notes too on this one live…regardless, better than any other 63 year old guy can do!!!
Absolutely! Hagar at 66 still has the pipes, Tyler still sounds really good, and there’s still a few other good singers left out there, but there’s only ONE Metal God! 🙂
I just read that Priest is playing Harrah’s Atlantic City in October. Boy have times changed.
Harrah’s? I saw Olivia Newton-John at a Harrah’s 39 years ago in Tahoe. Atlantic City needs anybody, it has imploded. Maybe Shecky Greene can be the opener. Michael Anthony…no talk to a Van Halen brother in ten years? Man, anybody near Sammy went out of their lives. Pro Tools helps Joe Elliot, I wonder if Rob gets a few tweaks of it in concert for the extended ones.
man, I love rob….he makes paul stanley my second favorite gay singer.