Itmay have been all the way back in 1974, but some things will stay with a person for a lifetime. “I remember getting the very first copy from the label when the postman knocked on my door,” says Rob Halford, lead vocalist of veteran metal machine Judas Priest. He is referring toRocka Rolla, the debut studio album from the band, which was released exactly 40 years ago on September 6. Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton and bassist Ian Hill remain in the fold from this period, and although a lot of the band’s earliest days remain a blur, there are still a handful of specific memories that Halford himself can recall.
“Some of those things that happened at the very beginning, they tend to stay stronger in your memory for whatever reason,” he says. “We had a very, very limited budget. We actually had to use the studio at night – we did what was called ‘the night shift’. We slept all day in a van outside the studio in London, and then we’d get up around nine at night. We’d work until dawn on the album and then do it all again – we were like heavy metal vampires! It was tough, but you do things in the early stages of being in a band that you would say ‘no way’ to if you were approached about doing now. It’s like paying your dues, though – it’s like completing an apprenticeship, if you will. You look back at those moments with fondness – it was an ordeal at the time, but they count as treasured memories now.”
40 years later, Judas Priest are still riding high. They’ve kicked back into gear with Redeemer Of Souls, their 17th studio album and their first in six years. Following a mixed reaction to its predecessor, the grandiose double LP Nostradamus, the new album feels in a way as though Priest are coming back down to earth.
“We had a great time putting together Nostradamus,” says Halford. “It was a record that was almost waiting to be written. The idea was given to us by our manager and we just ran to it. Any concept record has to have a good kind of anchor, a good solid story to tell. Of course, this guy was a real guy – there are still people that believe his prophecies will come true. He’s still an intriguing character, 300 years later. Having said that, quite a lot of time went on between the album’s tour before the guys and I sat down and began working on Redeemer Of Souls. What we were writing really came from the heart. We didn’t really have an agenda, but I think that we internally knew that it was time to get back to the roots of Priest. If you’ve been a Priest fan and you’ve been following what we’ve been doing, there’s a lot of components in Redeemer Of Souls that carry you back to certain parts of our life. That just happened very naturally, really. This was just about reinforcing a lot of things that we still believe in when it comes to the music that we play. We had a blast making this album, and I think you can really sense that in the performance.”
Redeemer Of Souls also marks a significant turning point for the band – not only is it the first Priest album without founding member and lead guitarist K.K. Downing, but it also marks the studio debut of new guitarist Richie Faulkner. At 34, he is nearly half the age of Halford, but has already made a notable impression on old and new fans alike since he was asked to join the fold in 2011.
“The great thing was that we were in Richie’s company for the entirety of the Epitaph Tour, which went for nearly two years,” says Halford. “When you’re living with each other like you do in a rock band, you learn the in and outs of the people you’re with and their personalities away from the music. So we were quite comfortable with Richie by the time we got around to making the album. With the Epitaph Tour, we were playing two-and-a-half hours a night, and there was a bit of everything from our career at that point. I think that was kind of subconsciously digested by Richie, as well as the rest of us when it came to making the album.”
Aside from their musical legacy, Priest are also well-known for having one of the first outed gay frontmen within the genre. After years in the closet, Halford publicly came out in 1998. Only a few metal musicians have come out since then, which was brought up a few months ago when Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert of the progressive metal band Cynic both publicly came out in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. Neither man felt comfortable doing this until their early forties and over two decades as musicians – a very similar path to that of Halford.
“It just shows that we’ve got a long way to go, doesn’t it?” he says. “It baffles me – the longer that I live, I can’t understand why this kind of bizarre human discrimination exists. Whether it’s your sexual orientation, the colour of your skin or the religion that you practise – that’s the world, unfortunately. Part of the challenge is still just chipping away at equality, trying to reach the same playing field. I would say that, probably underneath it all, is a broader acceptance now – particularly from the young metal fans. It’s a different climate that we’re in now, with social media and all of the resources people can reach out to. At the same time, I know that a lot of gay youth do have a lot of terrible situations arising for them, through bullying and teen suicide. It’s just an ongoing fight, isn’t it? In my case, I had to come out for myself. I’m sure it’s the same for anyone when they come out – you hide and you hide and you hide, and it’s ridiculous. You’re living on other people’s terms – and you can’t do that.”
Halford, along with the rest of Judas Priest, will return to Australia next year as a part of the two-day Soundwave Festival juggernaut. He is looking forward to seeing several friends that are a part of the bill – particularly those that serve as great examples of progressive-thinking people in the world of metal.
“I’ve known Marilyn [Manson] for years. He’s a very liberal, completely open-minded and accepting kind of person, which you could definitely tell from the persona that he puts out there. Then you’ve got Corey [Taylor] from Slipknot, who’s the exact same type of deal; as well as Sully [Erna] from Godsmack. It’s great, really, that people that have got the ear of their audience – particularly a younger audience – are able to send out positive messages and try and break down those barriers.”
Catch Judas Priest at Soundwave Festival 2015 alongsideSlipknot, Faith No More, Soundgarden, Slash, Marilyn Manson, Incubus, Lamb Of God, Fall Out Boy, Ministry and many more atSydney Olympic ParkonSaturday February 28 and Sunday March 1, tickets online.Redeemer Of Souls out now through Epic / Columbia.
