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
The scream he did after hearing that Steel Panther was opening for them was quite chilling.
I know…he’s happy that they’ll finally fill the venues now.
Can’t wait for the tour…to see Steel Panther!
Now, I’m curious if WPLR bothered to PLAY anything off the new album. I’m SO sick and tired of every f’ing radio station only playing their three old hits, completely ignoring everything from 1984 on.
My favorite album is Time and Chance. Oh wait. Rob Halford was the lead singer for Color Me Badd in the 90s, right?
I personally think Rob’s solo work with Halford was his best singing ever. Especially the live stuff,
live at Rock in Rio III, just amazing vocals on that one. If you have not heard it then treat yourself to it and listen to Silent Screams, Hells last survivor, just amazing music. Then I suggest Live insurrection, check out Silent Screams on that one, it’ll give you goose bumps, then Light comes out of black, that song will blow you away! Life in Black is another one where he screams his ass off.
If Eddie is reading this I am sure he would agree with me, right Eddie? Also, Beyond the Realms of Death was amazing on this live CD. When Rob plays the priest tunes he gives it a new twist, like Metal Gods, at the end of that song he adlibs some of his own lyrics at the end, “living in the land of the metal gods and I can’t come down and I can’t come down, living in the land of the METAL GODS!!” Just amazing music by a rock legend. Check it out, and if I am wrong then shoot me. LOL
Bryan, those first two Halford albums were brilliant on so many levels and it was a great time in the resurgence of metal. Hard to believe it’s been so long since they came out. Once Patrick left the band and Roy Z joined up with them, it was over. The last Halford album was incredibly weak.