By Steve Newton Judas Priest has been headlining arena concerts in Vancouver since the Screaming for Vengeance Tour back in 1982, but this time around things are different. Local headbangers will be able to see the British metal legends in the comparatively cozy confines of the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver for two shows next week. “We’ve been … Continue reading Judas Priest mixes it up on tour, Rob Halford says Richie Faulkner “saved” the band
Tag: Judas Priest
Rob Halford says that Priest, Maiden, AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, and Slayer have all stood the test of time
By Steve Newton Back in 2015 I interviewed Rob Halford in advance of Judas Priest's doubleheader at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver. When I asked him if there were any newer metal bands that had blown him away lately the 64-year-old "metal god" went off on a bit of a tangent. "They're all over the place, … Continue reading Rob Halford says that Priest, Maiden, AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, and Slayer have all stood the test of time
Dan Hawkins ponders the brilliance of Iron Maiden and whether the Darkness is the last of its kind
By Steve Newton A couple of the famous rockers I've interviewed lately have been raving about the new Iron Maiden album, The Book of Souls. Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, for example, called it "a fantastic achievement" a couple of weeks ago. And the Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins is mightily impressed as well--especially for a … Continue reading Dan Hawkins ponders the brilliance of Iron Maiden and whether the Darkness is the last of its kind
Rob Halford loves what Iron Maiden does with three guitars, but he’s “content” with what Priest does with two
By Steve Newton I interviewed Rob Halford a couple of weeks ago in advance of Judas Priest's upcoming shows at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, and we had a pretty nice chat. We go way back, to that time he called me up to promote the Defenders of the Faith tour in '84. At one point we … Continue reading Rob Halford loves what Iron Maiden does with three guitars, but he’s “content” with what Priest does with two
Judas Priest’s Rob Halford calls “Black Sabbath” the most evil song that’s ever been written: “It’s very f***ing scary!”
By Steve Newton Back in 2015 I interviewed Rob Halford in advance of Judas Priest's two shows at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver and, as old-school rockheads will do, we got to talkin' Sabbath. I'd known that Halford had sang with the metal legends three times--twice covering for Ronnie James Dio, and once for Ozzy … Continue reading Judas Priest’s Rob Halford calls “Black Sabbath” the most evil song that’s ever been written: “It’s very f***ing scary!”
Metal gods Judas Priest to play first Vancouver shows with Rob Halford outside of a hockey rink
By Steve Newton I've been going to see Judas Priest play concerts at Vancouver hockey rinks since the 1982 Screaming for Vengeance tour hit the Pacific Coliseum, and, quite frankly, I'm sick of it. The acoustics are never any good, and you can never get close enough to see the sweat dripping off Glenn Tipton's fretboard unless you … Continue reading Metal gods Judas Priest to play first Vancouver shows with Rob Halford outside of a hockey rink
Kick Axe feels that if you can make metal work in Vancouver, you can make it work anywhere
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, APRIL 15, 1983 By Steve Newton "If people can look at a band, "say Kick Axe guitarist Larry Gillstrom, "and see that everybody's coming from the same direction and are together on it, then I think they can relate to it a lot better. At least that's what we noticed … Continue reading Kick Axe feels that if you can make metal work in Vancouver, you can make it work anywhere
Judas Priest rips off Iron Maiden on Redeemer of Souls (but just a little)
Judas Priest released its 17th studio album, Redeemer of Souls, today, and I've been giving it a listen. All in all, I've gotta say that the British metal legends deliver the goods on the 13-track CD--which includes an extra five tunes on a bonus disc if you're lucky enough to get Sony Music to send you the … Continue reading Judas Priest rips off Iron Maiden on Redeemer of Souls (but just a little)
Judas Priest’s Rob Halford calls heavy metal “a young musical force” in 1984
By Steve Newton On May 14, 1984, Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford called me up from a gig in Portland, Oregon, to chat about his band's new album, Defenders of the Faith. At the time Priest was riding high in the metal world, their last two albums--1981's Point of Entry and '82's Screaming for Vengeance--having both … Continue reading Judas Priest’s Rob Halford calls heavy metal “a young musical force” in 1984
Rob Halford forced to defend Judas Priest’s name against suicide lawsuit
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 25, 1990 By Steve Newton You don’t have to be a riff-hungry young metal-head to know who Judas Priest is these days—all you’ve got to do is read the papers. The British band received world-wide publicity recently during its trial in Reno, Nevada, which questioned whether subliminal messages … Continue reading Rob Halford forced to defend Judas Priest’s name against suicide lawsuit
This Is the Blues goes heavy on underrated guitar hero Peter Green
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, JUNE 15, 2010 By Steve Newton Several years ago I was combing the CD stacks at Zulu Records—back when they were located on the other side of Fourth and a little further east—and came across the 1995 tribute album Rattlesnake Guitar: The Music of Peter Green. Man, what a find that … Continue reading This Is the Blues goes heavy on underrated guitar hero Peter Green
Judas Priest’s Metalogy box set comes wrapped in metal studs
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 9, 2004 By Steve Newton Back in '82 when I first started writing for the Straight, I instantly became the paper's on-call heavy-metal dude. Nobody else seemed to want the job--certainly not Alexander Varty, the main music critic at the time. So I happily took on the role, because it meant … Continue reading Judas Priest’s Metalogy box set comes wrapped in metal studs
Judas Priest debuts new hit single “Respecting the Law” on The Simpsons
Okay, so I lied. Judas Priest did not debut its new hit single "Respecting the Law" on The Simpsons last night. But it did rock the World's Best Animated Show with a 17-second parody of its 1980 hit single "Breaking the Law". The episode was about Internet piracy, and Rob Halford and the boys set up on the deck … Continue reading Judas Priest debuts new hit single “Respecting the Law” on The Simpsons