Judas Priest

They are one of the most influential bands of the past five decades, legends of heavy metal. It was 1974 when Judas Priest released their debut LP ‘Rocka Rolla’ and kicked off their phenomenal career. Then as now: the indestructible trio around frontman and four-and-a-half-octave singer Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton and Ian Hill on bass. As well as heavy music, Halford, the son of a steelworker from Birmingham, and his comrades-in-arms have always been concerned with social messages. The album ‘British Steel’, released in 1980 with songs such as ‘Breaking the Law’ and ‘Living After Midnight’, is still regarded today as an expression of the angry attitude to life of a young, hopeless generation against the cold economic policy under Margaret Thatcher. In 1998, Halford also became the first star in the metal scene to come out as gay.

With their 19th studio album ‘Invincible Shield’, released in 2024, Judas Priest not only achieved one of the very best albums of their career according to some critics: 50 years after their debut album, they also reached number 1 in the German charts for the first time - and are now coming back to the Olympic Hall on their ‘Shield of Pain’ tour.

Photo credits: Andrew McGovern