Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, and are cited as a formative influence on various heavy metal subgenres, including speed metal, thrash metal, power metal, and the hard rock/glam metal scene of the 1980s. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band had struggled with poor record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when their sixth studio album British Steel brought them notable mainstream attention.
Defenders of the Faith is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 13 January 1984 in the US and on 20 January 1984 in the UK. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA, and spawned the singles "Freewheel Burning", "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll", and "Love Bites".
Sad Wings of Destiny is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 26 March 1976 by Gull Records. It is considered the album on which Judas Priest consolidated their sound and image, and songs from it such as "Victim of Changes" and "The Ripper" have since become live standards. It was the band's only album to feature drummer Alan Moore.
Rocka Rolla is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 6 September 1974 by Gull Records. It was produced by Rodger Bain, who had made a name for himself as the producer of Black Sabbath's first three albums and Budgie's first two albums. It is the only album to feature drummer John Hinch.
Sin After Sin is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 8 April 1977 by Columbia Records. Produced by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, it was the band's major label debut, their first album for the label, and their only album to feature drummer Simon Phillips, a studio musician who replaced original drummer Alan Moore for the recording sessions.
Metal Works is a compilation album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in April 1993. A remastered edition was released in 2001, with the same track listing.
Metalogy is a four CD + single DVD boxed set released by heavy metal band Judas Priest in 2004. The CDs come in card sleeves and are housed in a faux-leather box, which has studs around the center. The box was re-released in 2008 in a cardboard long-box containing the same 4 CDs as the original release, but not the DVD, which is sold separately. It was re-released for a second time in September 2013 as a hardback mediabook, again without the DVD.
Alan John Atkins is an English heavy metal vocalist, best known for being the original lead vocalist and founder of Judas Priest.
The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight is a compilation album of Judas Priest's hits, dating from their 1978 album Killing Machine through Painkiller (1990). This album was released in 1997. In 2009 the album was reported to have sold 564,000 copies in the United States.
The Essential Judas Priest is a 2006 two-disc compilation album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest. It contains 34 songs from throughout their career right up to their then-most recent album Angel of Retribution, but excludes the Tim "Ripper" Owens era and material from their debut album Rocka Rolla. It was re-released in 2008 as a limited-edition 3-disc package. It was re-released again in 2010 as a Blu-spec CD. This version has a slightly different track list on the first disc; "Nostradamus" from the 2008 album of that name replaces "Victim of Changes" as the fifth track.
"Diamonds & Rust" is a song written, composed, and performed by Joan Baez. It was written in November 1974 and released in 1975.
Genocide is a 2000 Judas Priest compilation consisting of their first two albums, Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny, plus a bonus track from the Sad Wings of Destiny sessions as well. Like several others in the past, Genocide was released under the label Gull, in an effort to "capitalize on Judas Priest's popularity." Judas Priest's management firmly states that people should not buy these compilations, because even though it would seem like a new album on the surface, it's just a re-issue of material already recorded.
Rodger Bain is a British record producer, known for producing albums by heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Budgie and Judas Priest in the 1970s. He is mainly associated as the staff producer at Vertigo Records in the early to mid 1970s.
A Tribute to the Priest is a tribute album for Judas Priest, released on 9 September 2002.
"Victim of Changes" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, featured on their 1976 studio album Sad Wings of Destiny. Adrien Begrand, writing for PopMatters, claimed the song changed the course of metal history. Vocalist Rob Halford's performance is considered one of his finest ever. The guitar work is noted as well; Bob Gendron praised the song's "landslide riffs" in the Chicago Tribune. The song has come to be regarded as one of the band's classics, and Martin Popoff listed it at No. 17 in his "Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time".
"Judas Rising" is a song by heavy metal band Judas Priest. It is the opening track on the band's 2005 album Angel of Retribution. The song is about the Judas Priest Messiah on the cover of the albums Sad Wings of Destiny, Painkiller and Angel of Retribution.. It was also included on the albums The Essential Judas Priest and A Touch of Evil: Live. According to former guitarist K.K. Downing the origins of the song existed already in the 80's but were first finished for the Angel of Retribution album.
The Best of Judas Priest is a compilation album featuring select songs from English heavy metal band Judas Priest's first two albums, Rocka Rolla (1974) and Sad Wings of Destiny (1976).
The Complete Albums Collection is a compilation box set album collection by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 12 June 2012 by Legacy Recordings. The Complete Albums Collection contains 17 Judas Priest albums, but does not feature material from when Tim "Ripper" Owens fronted the band.
"Run of the Mill" is a ballad by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their debut album Rocka Rolla. The song was the first written by guitarist K. K. Downing, soon after vocalist Rob Halford joined the band. Downing wrote it, in part, to display Halford's unique vocal range.
