Greg Prato of the Long Island Pulse spoke with Judas frontman and Metal God, Rob Halford. Some quotes from the article appear below.
Discussing the band’s performance with James Durbin on American Idolstrong:
“We’d been following what James Durbin had been doing on the show, and James was bringing metal onto American Idol, which no other artist had done up until that point. There was some kickback from certain elements of the metal community, saying, ‘What the hell are you doing? How dare you be on American Idol?’ And our response was, ‘Who would not push back on an opportunity to be in the homes of 30 million viewers in America and beyond?’ It was firstly to do it for James, because he’s a great talent, and then secondly, it was to keep spreading the gospel of metal through Judas Priest.”
Talking about Long Island metalheads:
“I suppose it’s just the fabric of the people there. It’s extremely intense in terms of the passion of the metalheads on Long Island. I guess it’s just what makes Long Island unique, really. It reminds us a little bit of where we’re from, in the Midlands [of England]. The Midlands region is hard-working, tough people that can be in your face but have got your back. And they’re very proud of their heritage and their roots. I think that’s what we get from the Long Island crowd. It’s good to see those words on a tour itinerary.”
On whether he sees Priest continuing beyond Redeemer of Souls and its supporting tour?
“You’re inspired by the initial feedback of enthusiasm and support from your fan base, so that only encourages you to consider going through the process again. After this tour completes—we’ll be working through most of 2015—I’m sure that there will be another opportunity where we finish a touring cycle and we consider what to do next. My hope is that we’ll be making another Priest record.”
Read more at the Long Island Pulse.
source: lipulse.com
22 Responses
I miss KK but the new guy is good.
Redeemer Of Souls is excellent. KK left on his own accord, they didn’t refuse to pay him or bring somebody’s kid into the band. I like this lineup of Priest.
Priest have always held high the flag of metal and in my opinion they are truly the last of the iconic metal acts. cannot wait to see them at foxwoods. not too sure about steel panther opening but at least its metal. Hey eddie how do I get a copy of my cd directly to you?
Don’t miss the Panther!
They suck.
It took a few listens for “Redeemer of Souls” to sink in for me. While I don’t think every track is a keeper, for the most part it’s a strong effort. There are times where I think the sound quality could be better. I took a listen through “Angel of Retribution” for the first time in a couple of years this weekend, again – pretty solid. Impressive for a band at this point in their career I think. I mostly ignored “Nostradamus” when it came out, but I may give that another try – with an open mind.
Amen DC!! I could not agree more!
I love Redeemer of Souls and if they put something out close to that in a couple years, I will certainly buy it!
T minus 30 days until I see them in the ATL. Should be a great show and looking forward to how Richie does live. I miss KK as well but he has given them a shot in the arm.
Rock Hard, Ride Free!
Priest is the only band that can do any type of pop culture endeavor and I won’t begrudge them. So, American Idol, getting songs on the radio, none of that ever bothered me. What bothers me, is flogging this band over and over again with a very weak album, and Rob’s performances, now going on ten years. He can’t sing like he used to, no one could, classical opera singers couldn’t hit those notes he hit. Let that sink in, he beat everybody. Priest took music to uncharted solar systems and on the way mutated into the best band on the planet, live and in the studio. Rob should do different music that doesn’t put a strain on his voice. I checked out 7 years ago.