Halford Mckinder

When lead singer and heavy metal legend Rob Halford left Judas Priest in the early '90s (following two decades of service in the veteran band), he quickly rebounded with a ferocious new metal band called Fight, which he co-founded with Priest drummer Scott Travis. Fleshing out the group's lineup with guitarists Russ Parrish and Brian Tilse and bassist Jay Jay, Halford took Fight into the studio and recorded War of Words in 1993…

Former Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford finally re-embraced his roots, formed a band simply called Halford, and recorded 2000's Resurrection, a tremendous album of pure heavy metal. His three early-'90s Fight releases were metallic, unlike 1998's disastrous Two album Voyeurs, which was executive produced by Trent Reznor. Add to the musical shift Halford's new makeup-heavy image and public admission of his homosexuality and longtime fans were surprised, to say the least…

Former Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford finally re-embraced his roots, formed a band simply called Halford, and recorded 2000's Resurrection, a tremendous album of pure heavy metal. His three early-'90s Fight releases were metallic, unlike 1998's disastrous Two album Voyeurs, which was executive produced by Trent Reznor. Add to the musical shift Halford's new makeup-heavy image and public admission of his homosexuality and longtime fans were surprised, to say the least…

Forty-some years into his life as a verified metal god, it probably seemed like as good a time as any for Rob Halford to make a Christmas album. As the singer for Judas Priest, Halford's distinctive and versatile voice screamed, growled and wheezed through some of the most recognizable hard rock anthems of all time. Instantly recognizable, Halford's singing came to embody all the danger, rebellion, and hedonism that heavy metal itself strived for. There's an hefty dose of self-awareness and irony in Celestial, a collection of metalized Christmas carols and traditional holiday tunes, and a few Halford originals in the holiday vein. The raging and sinister "Donner and Blitzen" is one such original, and its over-the-top production, heavy-handed delivery, and retro riffing come dangerously close to parody.

In addition to co-creating Judas Priest's outstanding body of work, Rob Halford has also issued music outside of the beloved legendary Birmingham band - which is precisely what the new 14-CD boxset, The Complete Albums Collection, showcases. Included are four albums by the ferociously thrash-inspired Fight, as well as the lone album by the industrial-inspired 2wo (which featured guitarist John 5, and saw Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor serve as executive producer), plus 7 titles from the solo band Halford, which saw the Metal God gloriously return to pure, unadulterated metal. With the arrival of The Complete Albums Collection, metal fans will now have the definitive collection of Rob Halford s stellar work outside of the mighty Judas Priest, all in one set.

Halford's Live at Saitama Super Arena, which features Roy Z and Metal Mike Chlasciak on guitars, Mike Davis on bass, Bobby Jarzombek on drums, and the "Electric Eye" himself, Rob Halford on vocals, incudes 15 tracks, all of which were recorded in 5.1 Surround audio and draw from the works of Halford, Fight, and Judas Priest…