Judas Priest Tickets

Judas Priest
Earning the popularity and status of one of the definitive heavy metal bands, Judas Priest was formed in 1970 in Birmingham. Their hit song earned them the nickname "Metal Gods" which has now become their iconic recognition. Originally formed by guitarist K. K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill, Judas Priest's core line-up consists of Downing, Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarist Glenn Tipton. They have sold over 35 million albums worldwide.

In 1970, after a local posse named Judas Priest broke up, the band's singer, Al Atkins, approached Downing and Hill and proposed to form a band using his former band's name. With Downing as leader, the trio played around Birmingham and the surrounding areas until 1974. Eventually, financial difficulties and problems with their management, Tony Iommi's company, IMA, led to the departure of Alan Atkins and drummer Alan Moore.

Before the band entered the studio to record their first album, the record company suggested the band add another musician and Downing chose to add a second guitarist, Glenn Tipton, from the Stafford-based Flying Hat Band. In August 1974, the band debuted with the single "Rocka Rolla", before releasing an album of the same name a month later. There were technical problems during recording which led to problems with the sound quality. Producer Rodger Bain dominated the production of the album and made decisions the band did not agree with, thus Bain chose to leave fan favorites from the band's live performances, such as "Tyrant", "Genocide", and "The Ripper", off the album.

With their next album, the band produced Sad Wings of Destiny (1976), which included a variety of old material. This album and a strong 1975 performance at the Reading Festival helped to build their fanbase.

Three subsequent albums, 1977's Sin After Sin and 1978's Stained Class and Killing Machine used session drummer Simon Phillips and Les (James Leslie) Binks. Binks, who wrote the music for "Beyond the Realms of Death", was a very technically skilled drummer. Unfortunately Binks quit, in part because he disliked the band's simpler beats and sound, the band replaced him with Dave Holland, formerly from the band Trapeze. With this line-up, Judas Priest recorded six studio and one live album which garnered different degrees of critical and financial success. Overall, the band has sold in excess of 30 million albums globally. The band, although, suffered many changes yet it turned out to be a well-applauded entity which is a sure support of luck.

Following Killing Machine, a live release from the supporting tour entitled Unleashed in the East, was released. It was the first of many Judas Priest albums to go Platinum. At the time, there was some criticism of the bands' use of studio-enhancements and overdubbing. Nonetheless, many early Priest classics such as "Diamonds & Rust" and "The Ripper" are recorded.

In 1980, the band released British Steel. The next release, 1981's Point of Entry, followed the same formula, but critics generally berated it. However, the tour was successful, with new songs such as "Solar Angels" and "Heading Out to the Highway". The 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance featured the song "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", which garnered strong US radio airplay. "(Take These) Chains", an uncharacteristic ballad, was released as a single and received heavy airplay. This album went two times Platinum.

So the journey to producing a sound and well-received music went on its way and after a couple of years, an album was released which brought great appreciation. Defenders of the Faith was released in 1984. Some critics dubbed it as "Screaming for Vengeance II", due to its musical likeness to the previous album.

Apart from Black Sabbath, Judas Priest was the only metal band to perform at the Live Aid event, on July 13th, 1985. The band played at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Turbo was released in 1986, to keep up with the times; Priest adopted a more colorful look and gave their music a more poppy feel by adding synthesizers. The album also went Platinum and performed a successful tour, but some critics argued the album was a sellout.

The band started with immense upheavals and finally turned out to be a marvelous unison of harmony, creativity and lust for public satisfaction. The music gigs were fascinating and great following was registered which is evident of public's love for metal and rock style..

Judas Priest is the name given to the most authentic heavy metal band from United Kingdom. The hardcore metal band is nicknamed as 'Metal Gods' because of the sensational heavy metal tunes that have been created by them. The name has been taken from one of their song titles. The award-winning band originates from Birmingham and its emergence can be traced back to 1969. Although the line-up has gone through many changes over the decades, but it has never affected the band's quality of music. The present line-up consists of four band members including Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Glenn Tipton and Scott Travis.

Judas Priest became widely popular because of the unique melodies that it came up with, such as the twin guitar sounds. Its music has been used in few of the latest video games. Selling more than 50 million records, the band has recently been named as the 2nd Greatest Metal Band by MTV. The band announced that this year's world tour will probably be the band's last big tour.

Judas Priest has released 16 studio albums, most of which are certified as gold or platinum. The band has received various major awards over the years and their career has stretched to more than 4 decades. Their music is bound to entertain you and you can't help but move to the electrifying tunes. So if you're looking to have a rocking time, then grab your Judas Priest Tickets as soon as possible!