hypersongs

Judas Priest

A heavy metal band from Birmingham, formed in 1969, whose third album Sin After Sin (1977) opened with "Sinner" and who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Birmingham and the first records

Judas Priest formed in Birmingham in 1969 around the singer Al Atkins, and split in 1970 after the Immediate Records label collapsed. K. K. Downing and Ian Hill joined that year, Rob Halford arrived as singer in 1973 and Glenn Tipton in 1974. The first album, Rocka Rolla, came out on Gull in 1974, followed by Sad Wings of Destiny on March 26, 1976. Sad Wings was recorded in November and December 1975 at Rockfield Studios in Wales on a budget of 2,000 pounds, and Halford has called it his favorite Priest album.

After Sad Wings they signed to CBS, and the band gave up rights to the first two Gull albums. Sin After Sin (1977) was their major-label debut, Stained Class and Killing Machine followed in 1978, and British Steel in 1980 brought mainstream attention. Screaming for Vengeance (1982) reached number 11 in the UK and 17 in the US. Wikipedia quotes the Guardian calling British Steel the record that codified what we mean by heavy metal.

Line-up changes and honors

Halford left in 1992, and the band reformed in 1996 with Tim Owens on vocals for Jugulator (1997) and Demolition (2001). Halford rejoined in 2003, and Angel of Retribution (2005) reached number 13 in the US. Downing departed in 2011 and was replaced by Richie Faulkner. Recent albums are Redeemer of Souls (2014), Firepower (2018, number 5 in both the UK and the US) and Invincible Shield (2024, number 2 in the UK). Tipton stopped touring in 2018, and Andy Sneap has toured as a guitarist since. Dave Rimmer replaced Hill on bass in 2026.

The band were the first inductees of the VH1 Rock Honors in 2006, won the 2010 Grammy for best metal performance with a live "Dissident Aggressor", and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Musical Excellence Award in the class of 2022; the ceremony was on November 5, 2022 in Los Angeles. They have sold more than 50 million albums, and are credited as pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and an influence on speed, thrash and power metal. Side projects include Fight, KK's Priest and Halford.

Albums

  • Sin After Sin 1977 · Columbia

    The band's third album and major-label debut, produced by Deep Purple's Roger Glover, with Simon Phillips on drums.

Songs

  • Sinner Sin After Sin · 1977

    The opening track of Sin After Sin, written by Rob Halford and Glenn Tipton.

Sources

  1. Judas Priest, Wikipedia
  2. Judas Priest discography, Wikipedia
  3. Sin After Sin, Wikipedia
  4. Sad Wings of Destiny, Wikipedia