JUDAS PRIEST
BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2018
JUDAS PRIEST
Playing: Friday, 10th August 2018

Stage: Ronnie James Dio Stage

BAND PHOTO GALLERY
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There are few Heavy Metal bands that have managed to scale the heights that Judas Priest have during their 40 year plus career. Their presence and influence being at an all time high as evidence by the group’s last studio album “Redeemer of Souls” reaching the… More highest US billboard Top 200 chart position and peaking throughout the world – their 2010 Grammy Award win for “Best Metal performance” – being a VH1 Rock Honors recipient plus much more.

Judas Priest originally formed in the early ‘70s’ in Birmingham, England (an area that many feel birthed Heavy Metal). By 1974, long time Priest members guitarist K.K. Downing and Bassist Ian Hill welcomed singer Rob Halford into the fold – he was soon followed by the arrival of guitarist Glenn Tipton. It would be this nucleus of musicians of musicians (along with several different drummers over the years) that would soon go on to change the face of heavy metal. After a ‘feeling out’ period of a couple of albums – 1974’s ‘Rock Roll’ and 1976’s ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ – the Rob/Glenn/K.K./Ian line up truly hit their stride. The result was a quartet of albums that separated Priest from the rest of the hard rock pack – 1977’s ‘Sin After Sin’ – 1978’s ‘Stained Class’ and ‘Hell Bent for Leather’ and 1979’s ‘Unleashed In The East’ which spawned such metal anthems as ‘Sinner’ – ‘Diamonds and Rust’ – ‘Hell Bent for Leather’ and ‘The Green Manalisha (with the two pronged Crown)’. Also Priest were one of the first metal bands to exclusively wear leather and studs – a look that began during this era and would eventually be embraced by metal heads throughout the world.

It could be said that Priest simply owned the ‘80s as they were second to none as far as pure metal goes – releasing such all-time classic albums as 1980’s ‘British Steel’ – 1981’s ‘Point of Entry’ – 1982’s ‘Screaming for Vengeance’ and 1984’s Defenders of the Faith’. Once more, these titles spawned countless enduring metal anthems including ‘Breaking the Law’ – ‘living after midnight’ – ‘Heading Out to the Highway’ and ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’. The 1980’s were also a decade where Priest became a global arena headliner, and also offered show-stopping sets at some of the world’s biggest festivals including the First ever ‘Monsters Of Rock’ festival at Donington Park (1980) in the United Kingdom, the US festival (1983) in the United States and Live Aid (1985) in the United States. Less