Iconic metal gods JUDAS PRIEST will be Inducted into The Hall of Heavy Metal History in 2018. The Ceremony will take place August 2, 2018 at Wacken Open Air, the world’s largest Heavy Metal festival.
The induction will take place just before the JUDAS PRIEST perform one of the biggest shows of their current ‘Firepower’ world tour.
“We have made sure that Judas Priest finally gets the Induction and respect they truly deserve,” says Pat Gesualdo, Founder/CEO of The Hall of Heavy Metal History. “We thank them for the decades of hard work and dedication to Heavy Metal, an art form they helped establish.”
An official statement from the band reads: “Judas Priest are thrilled and honored to accept induction into the Hall of Heavy Metal History and be amongst so many of our friends. This also sends a great message of inclusion for the Metal community around the world, and keeps us defending the Metal faith together.”
JUDAS PRIEST’s latest studio album, Firepower, was released March 9, 2018, via Epic Records. Co-produced by Tom Allom and Andy Sneap, the 14-track album has become one of the most successful of the band’s entire career – landing in the “top-5” of 17 countries (including their highest chart placement ever in the U.S.), and scoring their highest charting commercial rock radio single in decades with “Lightning Strike” (for which a music video was also filmed).
JUDAS PRIEST’s new music video, “No Surrender” is now available for viewing via http://smarturl.it/NoSurrenderVid or watch it below. “’No Surrender’ captures the true metal fighting spirit and metalheads around the world find a united voice within the message of this song,” says the band. “When you honestly believe in yourself and live your life the way you have the right to with no surrender, then nothing will ever stop you from living your dream.”
Few heavy metal bands have managed to scale the heights that Judas Priest have during their near 50-year career, and with a line-up featuring Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Richie Faulkner, Ian Hill, and Scott Travis, Judas Priest will be scorching across North America with some heavy metal Firepower again this summer and fall on tour with Deep Purple! For more information, please visit judaspriest.com.
JUDAS PRIEST TOUR DATES:
8/21 — Cincinnati, OH — Riverbend Music Center
8/22 — Chicago, IL — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
8/24 — Detroit, MI — Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
8/25 — Mt. Pleasant, MI — Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort
8/27 — Hamilton, ON — FirstOntario Centre
8/29 — Montreal, QC — Bell Centre
8/30 — Quebec City, QC — Centre Videotron
9/1 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
9/2 — Bethel Woods, NY — Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
9/5 — Darien Center, NY — Darien Lake Amphitheater
9/6 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center
9/8 — Virginia Beach, VA — Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
9/9 — Camden, NJ — BB&T Pavilion
9/11 — Charlotte, NC — PNC Music Pavilion
9/12 — Jacksonville, FL — Daily’s Place
9/14 — Atlanta, GA — Verizon Amphitheatre
9/16 — Biloxi, MS — Mississippi Coast Coliseum
9/18 — Kansas City, MO — Starlight Theatre
9/20 — Welch, MN — Treasure Island Casino
9/21 — Council Bluffs, IA — Harrah’s Council Bluffs
9/23 — Denver, CO — Pepsi Center
9/26 — San Diego, CA — Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
9/27 — Irvine, CA — FivePoint Amphitheatre
9/29 — Mountain View, CA — Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/30 — Wheatland, CA — Toyota Amphitheatre
Next year will mark 50 years since JUDAS PRIEST’s formation, and incredibly, they are more popular than ever. Case in point, the announcement that their 18th studio album, ‘Firepower’, has debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 Chart – their highest chart placement ever in the States (yes, that includes such all-time classics as ‘British Steel,’ ‘Screaming for Vengeance,’ ‘Painkiller,’ etc.). And Priest’s members are just as excited as the fans – “This is incredible news, that our band Judas Priest – of nearly fifty years standing, can stay popular and relevant enough to gain our highest first week Billboard Top 200 chart position ever! Good news for us, and good news for Metal in general!”
‘Firepower’ is also receiving stellar reviews across the board, including the Metal Temple website declaring “‘Firepower’ is a fine proof of a pioneer that still has a lot to say, unlike many bands that live off their glorious past. JUDAS PRIEST is, so hear their sermon, because this is one of the greatest albums of this year, if it isn’t the best one.”
Additionally, ‘Firepower’ has drawn rave reviews from such popular metal sites as Blabbermouth (“JUDAS PRIEST has every reason to be proud of itself. The corpulent swagger of the retro rock-heavy ‘No Surrender’ is so good it can choke you up, and it says everything about this album and its constituents.”), Loudwire (“‘Firepower,’ and its fourteen tracks which span fifty-eight minutes, is Judas Priest’s finest work since reclaiming their sound on the sonic wrecking ball that was ‘Painkiller’.”), and BraveWords (“With all sincerity, ‘Firepower,’ ‘Lightning Strike,’ ‘Evil Never Dies,’ ‘Necromancer,’ ‘Traitors Gate,’ and ‘No Surrender’ are sure to find themselves – next to all the classics – on any ‘Best of Judas Priest’ playlist you’ll put together on your streaming service of choice”), and the album is receiving strong coverage via mainstream media outlets – including Rolling Stone.
Released on March 9 via Epic Records – ‘Firepower’ is comprised of fourteen tracks of pure and highly inspired metal. And to mark the occasion Priest (singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis) reunited with producer Tom Allom (the man behind the board for all of the band’s releases from 1979-1988, including such stellar classics as ‘Unleashed in the East,’ ‘British Steel,’ ‘Screaming for Vengeance’ and ‘Defenders of the Faith’) and with Grammy Award-winning producer Andy Sneap also helping to raise the sonic bar even higher.
“Tom Allom has got this classic metal thing,” explains Halford. “And Andy is a bit more of a ‘modern metal producer’ but his thinking is a little bit different to Tom’s. And I think to get this balance between that classic old school metal to what Andy’s world is was just a remarkable coalescence.”“Tom Allom has been with us since 1979, so his knowledge of ourselves and our music in general is immense,” adds Hill. And according to Travis Priest returned back to a recording method that worked incredibly well on the band’s earlier classics – “We went back to the organic way of recording where it’s all of us in a room and we got to play together.”
Currently touring the U.S. to adoring and large crowds on a bill that is shaping up to be the metal bill of the year (Judas Priest, Saxon, and Black Star Riders), metalheads will be receiving plenty of ‘Firepower’ throughout 2018.
‘FIREPOWER’ TRACKLISTING:
1. Firepower
2. Lightning Strike
3. Evil Never Dies
4. Never the Heroes
5. Necromancer
6. Children of the Sun
7. Guardians
8. Rising from Ruins
9. Flame Thrower
10. Spectre
11. Traitors Gate
12. No Surrender
13. Lone Wolf
14. Sea of Red
METALHEADS FOREVER, one of the biggest metal entities out there (having today more than 133000 members), have posted online the March 2018 issue, featured the interview with Alpha Omega‘s DARAY talking about his new band DANTE, touring plans with DIMMU BORGIR and entering the ALPHA OMEGA artist roster last September. Furthermore the March issue is featured by the interviews with JUDAS PRIEST, AUTOPSY, SOULFLY + several reviews and many more!
To read the interviews and the whole March 2018 issue, go here and get more information at this location.
Please Note, DARAY is available for studio sessions, drum clinics, as well as session drummer for tours etc. For further information, please contact via email: alexalphaomega@gmail.com – robertoalphaomega@gmail.com.
In February 2018, ALPHA OMEGA Management and METALHEADS FOREVER announced the Birth of The Worldwide Management Network! Get more information here.
It is not often that fans of heavy metal get the opportunity to hear new music from JUDAS PRIEST and meet these heavy metal legends. But soon, lucky fans will have it both ways. Today, on March 2nd, a lyric video for a NEW standout track from the album, “Never The Heroes”, is unveiled – a song which can purchased now via http://smarturl.it/Firepower. And on March 19 at 6:00 P.M at the Sony Square NYC (25 Madison Avenue in New York City), the band will be signing copies of their brand new album, ‘Firepower’.
As the band explains, “’Never The Heroes’ is about the courageous men and women that enter war – never trained to be heroes but becoming heroic due to their actions and sacrifices doing their duty for their people and country. It resonates as there is a hero in all of us and in times of struggle we can be strong and united – conquering our own challenges and helping others – it’s a traditional Priest mid-tempo powerhouse, with a powerful message!”
Check out the lyric video here :
Set for release on Friday, March 9th, 2018 via Epic Records – ‘Firepower’ is comprised of fourteen tracks of pure and highly inspired metal. And to mark the occasion Priest (singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis) has reunited with producer Tom Allom (the man behind the board for all of the band’s releases from 1979-1988, including such stellar classics as ‘Unleashed in the East,’ ‘British Steel,’ ‘Screaming for Vengeance’ and ‘Defenders of the Faith’) and with Grammy Award-winning producer Andy Sneap also helping to raise the sonic bar even higher.
“Tom Allom has got this classic metal thing,” explains Halford. “And Andy is a bit more of a ‘modern metal producer’ but his thinking is a little bit different to Tom’s. And I think to get this balance between that classic old school metal to what Andy’s world is was just a remarkable coalescence.” “Tom Allom has been with us since 1979, so his knowledge of ourselves and our music in general is immense,” adds Hill. And according to Travis Priest returned back to a recording method that worked incredibly well on the band’s earlier classics – “We went back to the organic way of recording where it’s all of us in a room and we got to play together.”
With the impending arrival of ‘Firepower’ and its ensuing tour (which kicks off on March 13th in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania), THE PRIEST IS BACK!
‘FIREPOWER’ TRACKLISTING:
1. Firepower
2. Lightning Strike
3. Evil Never Dies
4. Never The Heroes
5. Necromancer
6. Children of the Sun
7. Guardians
8. Rising From Ruins
9. Flame Thrower
10. Spectre
11. Traitors Gate
12. No Surrender
13. Lone Wolf
14. Sea of Red
Ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing has released a statement regarding the retirement of Glenn Tipton, which was recently announced.
“The news that Glenn has finally been forced to come to terms with his unfortunate condition long term came with deep regret and sadness for me. Equally, this ending of our guitar duo era is also something that I have to come to terms with. The insatiable appetite that myself and Glenn had for creating inspired and unique music for the world to enjoy for many decades, is something that can never be erased. However, everyone who has witnessed the evolution of our beloved music must come to terms with the fact that things will inevitably change, or just simply end.
I have to state with great sadness also that I am shocked and stunned that I wasn’t approached to step into my original role as guitarist for Judas Priest. Whether I could have stepped back into the band or not, the potential for this situation arising never entered my head when I departed – although I too am officially and legally still a member of Judas Priest.
However, I know now more clearly than ever that I did the right thing by leaving the band when I did – as it seems that my time spent in the band, and my value in terms of crafting its huge legacy, was and is unappreciated by more than one member. I sincerely hope, for the fans’ sake, that the decision not to approach me was not a financial one.
I know Andy Sneap – and he is one of the greatest contributors to rock and metal that you will ever have the privilege to meet. To that end I have no doubt that his contribution to the new Judas Priest album was much more than just as a producer. All that’s left is for you the fans to go out and enjoy the band as it is, in order to complete a part of music history in which every one of you has played such an important role.”
Ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing has 
