JUDAS PRIEST: AT EASE WITH ROB HALFORD THE METAL GOD™
The first thing that strikes me about speaking to the Metal God™ is the warmth of those dulcet Brummie tones. Greeting me with a hearty “Alright, mate”, I am at ease. With Rob Fucking Halford.
Halford is best known as the singer in Judas Priest. You know, famously likened to Mariah Carey (Right here. By me. Now. And nowhere else, ever.) for his six octave range. Six octaves is clearly showing off, it’s essentially the difference between a mouse and a tiger (possibly need more research – must check before sending copy) and has always been something which lends Priest their power. But he is not just the epic voice behind Judas Priest.
He’s provided vocals for Black Sabbath and numerous other bands including his critically acclaimed projects, Fight, 2wo (with John 5 [or John Lowrey, to his mum], later of Marilyn Manson, and Trent Reznor) and of course the brilliant Halford.
So I’m talking to a legend, a man who is nearly 60-years-old, a man who has been in music for around four decades, a man who has been in the notoriously hard-living, hard-drinking, hard-snorting world of heavy metal for all of that time and he is talking with the vigour and passion of a 19 year old kid, fresh in the game.
“We’re all really excited to be back on the road. Touring and playing live has always been a big part of what Priest is all about.”
Judas Priest are back with a continent straddling final world tour. Not like the Rolling Stones or other bands desperate to remain relevant so they keep reminding people they are still here by doing farewell tours, but a real last ever word tour.
“We’ll still be recording. This isn’t the end for Priest. We’ve got a few albums left in us yet. I mean, there’s nothing to say we won’t do smaller tours or play special events, but this is the last big tour.”
Playing live, how have your fans changed over the years? Is it still the same guys, a little bit paunchier, a little bit balder, a little bit creakier?
“There are a lot of the older fans still watching us, there are a lot of younger kids there, too. On the first dates of this tour everyone said about the range of ages out there. It’s really great when, as a band, you can see your music reaching out to all sorts of people.”
Forty years deep, can they keep progressing, can they keep bringing something new to the table, have they reached the limits of metal? “No way. Metal doesn’t have rules. In a way that’s the point of it. You can keep redefining your sound and developing forever which we believe is what we have done as Priest. Listen to any of our albums and although they are obviously the same band, they aren’t the same album. The sound has developed, but always remained true.”
Pressing him on this he expounds on his love for Dark Throne, Burzum, Emperor, Mortiis, and Mayhem. He still says he would like to make a black metal album, but “It’s all about finding the time.”
I ask what he likes outside of metal. Instead of the ‘click’ of a receiver being put down and me being cast into Hell by the other-worldly powers of rock as I half expect, he immediately replies;
“Willie Nelson. I love him. The man’s a genius. People will think it’s strange but a part of me would really enjoy doing an album like that. I can’t see it ever happening, but I love listening to him, I could listen to him for hours on end.”
Finally, I ask him the burning question on everyone’s lips. Mr Halford, could you kill a man in anger? There is a pause as he considers this. “No.” I try again, desperate to get a confession of potential murder from every interviewee. Could you kill a man in joy? And with that, I make Rob Halford, Metal God™, laugh.
Garreth Ackerman
