Rob+halford

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.

The year 1976 was crucial for the evolution of heavy metal, as landmark albums like Rainbow's Rising and Scorpions' Virgin Killer began to reshape the genre. Perhaps none was quite as important as Judas Priest's sophomore effort, Sad Wings of Destiny, which simultaneously took heavy metal to new depths of darkness and new heights of technical precision. Building on the hard prog of bands like Queen and Wishbone Ash, plus the twin-guitar innovations of the latter and Thin Lizzy, Sad Wings fused these new influences with the gothic doom of Black Sabbath, the classical precision of Deep Purple, and the tight riffery of the more compact Led Zeppelin tunes.

The year 1976 was crucial for the evolution of heavy metal, as landmark albums like Rainbow's Rising and Scorpions' Virgin Killer began to reshape the genre. Perhaps none was quite as important as Judas Priest's sophomore effort, Sad Wings of Destiny, which simultaneously took heavy metal to new depths of darkness and new heights of technical precision. Building on the hard prog of bands like Queen and Wishbone Ash, plus the twin-guitar innovations of the latter and Thin Lizzy, Sad Wings fused these new influences with the gothic doom of Black Sabbath, the classical precision of Deep Purple, and the tight riffery of the more compact Led Zeppelin tunes…

Ritual, the sixth studio long-player from the Hollywood-based goth-metal troupe, opens appropriately with an evocative soundscape filled with thunderclaps, ghostly incantations, air raid sirens, and tribal drumming, portending an explosive, arena-sized doom anthem. Follow-up "Oh Lord" is indeed combustible, but it's hardly the soaring, overwrought Evanescence-fest that the intro would suggest. Instead, the band delivers a blues-blasted, midtempo gospel banger – with style and attitude to spare – that proves once again that Maria Brink possesses one of the most powerful and compelling voices, male or female, in the modern rock genre…

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.

Judas Priest's 18th studio album, FIREPOWER began under inauspicious circumstances. First, guitarist Glenn Tipton, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a decade ago, found it necessary to retire from the road; second, they lost out to Bon Jovi for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and finally, former drummer Dave Holland passed on before this set's issue. But the sound of FIREPOWER remains unbowed. Its undiminished power and assaultive mayhem are somewhat tempered in its slower moments by slowly unfurling rage, loss, and menace. It was begun in 2016 by Rob Halford, Tipton, and new guitarist Richie Faulkner.

Beyond Fear is a heavy metal band started in March, 2005 by Tim "Ripper" Owens after he left Judas Priest as a side-project apart from his former work with Iced Earth. It appeared for a spell in the '90s that the "classic metal singer" – specifically of the Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, and Geoff Tate mold – was a near extinct beast. But along came Halford disciple Tim "Ripper" Owens, and the floodgates opened once more. Having appeared on releases by Judas Priest and Iced Earth, it wasn't until Owens launched Beyond Fear that he was able to truly take center stage in the songwriting department. Although adamant that Beyond Fear is not just a solo project (he enlists the aid of longtime musician pals), it's Owens' voice that is the main focus throughout Beyond Fear.

John 5 released his ninth solo album entitled "Invasion" on July 31, 2019. He was on the road in early and late 2019 in support of the "Invasion" album. “It’s just music I love. I have some Bluegrass, some crazy Rock stuff, but even some EDM style music in there like if there was a DJ, but the DJ was making all the sounds by themselves with a guitar. That is kind of how I took that approach with “Crank It” and “I Am John 5.” I started getting into that, playing those songs live, and people really love it. So why not? I play what I love, it’s from the heart, and people really seem to enjoy it..” John William Lowery, best known by the stage name John 5, is an American guitarist. His stage name was bestowed on him in 1998 when he left David Lee Roth and joined the rock group Marilyn Manson as their guitarist, taking over for Zim Zum. Still going by the name "John 5", Lowery has since become the guitarist for Rob Zombie.