Judas Priest

Leather, lawsuits, on-stage motorcycle accidents, the infamous Heavy Metal Parking Lot documentary and frontman Rob Halford's homosexuality have often overshadowed the music of Judas Priest. But since releasing its 1974 debut, Rocka Rolla, the group has proven to be among the most innovative and influential bunch of dudes to ever...

By Jason Heller

August 6, 2009

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Leather, lawsuits, on-stage motorcycle accidents, the infamous Heavy Metal Parking Lot documentary and frontman Rob Halford's homosexuality have often overshadowed the music of Judas Priest. But since releasing its 1974 debut, Rocka Rolla, the group has proven to be among the most innovative and influential bunch of dudes to ever pick up guitars and crank amps. Mixing bludgeoning heaviness with triumphant melody, Halford and crew didn't exactly invent metal — but they solidified it in the minds and hearts of millions, especially on their 1980 breakthrough, British Steel, an album of mythically epic anthems that almost single-handedly launched '80s metal in its myriad forms. In honor of British Steel's thirtieth anniversary, Judas Priest is playing the album in its entirety on its current tour, as well as breathing hellfire into classics like "Screaming for Vengeance" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming" (not to mention selections from its serviceable new album, Nostradamus). Front-row fans at the band's Red Rocks show might get an extra treat: a couple lungfuls of Harley exhaust.

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