Judas Priest’s Rob Halford Carries Heavy Metal’s Invincible Shield to Smart Financial Centre……

But the reality of profession in 2024 is that for features to advance a concert, you might get 20 minutes on the phone with a bandmember, sandwiched between similar chinwags with a bunch of other writers likely asking many of the same questions.

The one boon from the pandemic, though, is the prolificacy of the Zoom interview. More and more musicians are OK with this option—even if video isn’t used—and both writer and subject get to actually see who they’re talking to. It makes for a better conversation, better answers, and a better story.

Still, it’s a bit of a shock to view the visage of The Metal God himself, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, pop up on the laptop screen in my dining room in all of his bald/bearded/tattooed/nose-ringed glory. And yes, I can confirm that his Zoom screen name is actually “The Metal God.”

Halford has some thoughts as to why.

“Metal hits everybody in the same way. But there are some cultures that display their emotions and passions a bit differently,” he offers. “We’re all on the same field, we’re all together, the heavy metal community. But there were certain countries that were very repressed and depressed with music and what they could listen to or not. There are no inhibitions. They just let it out.”

Beyond that, he’s notes it’s just this explosive joy of coming together with thousands and thousands of people at a concert. And not just with Judas Priest, but any kind of music.

Halford tells the story of appearing on a TV show hosted by Slavi Trifonov, who he calls “the Johnny Carson of Bulgaria.” Trifonov told him how as a teenager he and his friends would sneak into a basement and play Judas Priest records—but softly—since the band and heavy metal in general were actually banned by the government at the time.

This year’s Invincible Shield is Judas Priest’s 19th studio album. It’s a shockingly strong effort, better than their previous release, 2018’s well-regarded Firepower. Even more shockingly, Halford’s trademark scream and falsetto seem untouched by time, further cementing his stature as one of the top three classic heavy metal vocalists of all time (along with Mssrs. Dickinson and Dio). Judas Priest was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, albeit in the nebulous category of “Musical Excellence” rather than “Performer.”