Glenn Tipton

Judas Priest was one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the '70s, spearheading the New Wave of British Heavy Metal late in the decade. Decked out in leather and chains, the band fused the gothic doom of Black Sabbath with the riffs and speed of Led Zeppelin, as well as adding a vicious two-lead guitar attack; in doing so, they set the pace for much popular heavy metal from 1975 until 1985, as well as laying the groundwork for the speed and death metal of the '80s.

Judas Priest's METALOGY, an impressive four-CD behemoth of a box set that also includes a bonus DVD, proved a fitting tribute to a band celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2004. Kudos to the creative team whose use of studded trim and faux leather texture in the packaging is fitting for a group whose visual legacy is inextricably linked to their own S&M/biker apparel. As impressive as the outside of this package is, the music contained within is more important, especially when you consider that this Birmingham outfit laid down many of heavy metal's stylistic touchstones…

Judas Priest's major-label debut Sin After Sin marks their only recording with then-teenage session drummer Simon Phillips, whose technical prowess helps push the band's burgeoning aggression into overdrive. For their part, K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton employ a great deal more of the driving, palm-muted power-chord picking that would provide the basic rhythmic foundation of all but the most extreme heavy metal from here on out. Sin After Sin finds Priest still experimenting with their range, and thus ends up as perhaps their most varied outing. Yet despite the undeniably tremendous peaks here, the overall package doesn't cohere quite as well as on Sad Wings of Destiny, simply because the heavy moments are so recognizable as the metal we know today that the detours stick out as greater interruptions of the album's flow.

This live-record delivers the goods, indeed it contains some of the best-ever-released versions of Judas Priest's 70's songs. The quality, especially of the remastered version, is very competetive to other live recordings such as 'Iron Maiden's Live After Death'. You can also call it a 'Live-Quasi-Best of the 70's.'

Redeemer of Souls is the seventeenth studio album by the heavy metal band Judas Priest, which was released on 8 July 2014. It is their first album since 2008's Nostradamus and also their first without founding guitarist K.K. Downing, who left the band in 2011 and was replaced by new guitarist Richie Faulkner. This Deluxe CD Bookpack includes the album plus 5 bonus tracks across 2 CDs in a hardback lyric book.

While the '80s may have been littered with many second-rate pop-metal knockoffs of little musical merit, Judas Priest, decked out in leather and studs, always stood tall above the pretenders as the genuine article of metal greatness. Along with Iron Maiden, they helped lead the way of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and are certainly one of the best and most influential metal bands ever. The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight provides fans with a collection of late-'70s/early-'80s hard-rocking classics by one of the best in the metal business. This collection focuses on the hits of Judas Priest's career, which came mostly during the early '80s, their artistic and commercial peak.

The legacy of the father of fetish rock has finally been reviewed! With the cream of the music industry on hand with their insights, we present the music, the sex, the leather and the scandals! "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law" are just two of the classic heavy metal songs that British rockers Judas Priest are best known for. This entry in the Music in Review series takes a look at the band's remarkable achievements and some of the controversy they have generated over the years.