Judas Priest Live Review: A New Era Of Judas Metal!

By: Rob Cavuoto

Richie Faulkner, Rob Halford and Glenn Tipton

From the stage of the sold out Izod Center in New Jersey, Rob Halford told the crowd that Judas Priest were playing tonight in front of 7,000 Metal Maniacs! No truer words could have been spoken.

Loyal and diehard fans alike arrived in full force tonight to experience the metal meltdown put forth by the mighty Priest for a two hour show. The set list spanned their entire career from “Never Satisfied” off their 1974 debut LP, Rocka Rolla, to “Nostradamus” the title track of their most recent 2008 studio CD.

Joining the ranks for the Epitaph World Tour is guitarist Richie Faulkner, replacing founding member KK Downing, who has since retired from the band. Richie put on a stellar performance; his style married perfectly with Glenn Tipton’s to provide a seamless dual guitar assault. Richie told me that “Victim of Changes,” “Turbo Lover” and “Blood Red Skies” were three of his favorite songs to play live, and from the crowd’s reaction, I think those were the favorites among everyone in attendance, too. He went on to say that he is a fan of the band, so he knows what is expected of him, yet as a musician has to put his own stamp on it and change things up when appropriate.

Faulkner and Halford

Richie seems to have injected the band with some new-found energy. The interaction and camaraderie between the members on stage was noticeably amped. Halford took command of the Izod Center and worked the crowd from side-to-side along the entire stage like I have never seen before. He dazzled us with his elaborate wardrobe changes on every song, from spiked and studded black leather jackets, to denim jackets to every piece of metallic wear in-between, including a silver hooded cloak and staff that he wore for “Nostradamus.” His voice, like a fine wine, has only gotten better with age. It is a blend of hell and fire, with Rob hitting the high notes of “Painkiller” with ease and spitting forth the low end growl on “The Green Manalishi.”

The high points of the show are when the Metal God comes out on his Harley for “Hell Bent for Leather” as well as hearing classics like “Heading Out to the Highway” and my personal favorite “Breaking the Law.” Hats off to Priest for putting on one hell of a show! We can only hope that this is not the end of Priest but a new beginning. Let’s also hope Glenn Tipton keeps his word of a new CD on the horizon with Richie Faulkner on guitar.

Bassist Ian Hill

Glenn Tipton

Richie Faulkner

Rob Halford