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British metal gods roared into Toronto last Thursday (November 12th) to a near sold-out crowd at the Air Canada Centre. This was the second leg of their Redeemer Of Souls World Tour, so the setlist was altered greatly and the band continued their metal mastery of weaving new material (“Halls Of Valhalla” and “Redeemer Of Souls”) with molten classics such as “Victim Of Changes”, “Screaming For Vengeance”, “Turbo Lover”, “Hell Bent For Leather”, “Painkiller” and the rarely heard nuggets “The Rage” (from British Steel) and “Desert Plains” (Point Of Entry).

And Priest are still firing on all cylinders. Richie “The Falcon” Faulkner continues to settle into the K.K. Downing role quite effortlessly, while still retaining some of his own originality, meanwhile mainstays Glenn Tipton and Ian Hill remain at the top of their game. Drummer Scott Travis is a whirlwind of energy and last but not least, the Metal God himself, Rob Halford shines with remarkable stamina and vocal prowess for a man in his mid-‘60s!

Prior to the show, Halford told BraveWords: “We’re still here aren’t we? When I think of all the millions and millions of miles that this band has traveled by planes, trains and automobiles. And here we are again roaring through Canada. We’ve always had a really strong mental connection with Toronto over the years and it seems to get stronger and stronger. The metal maniacs are always there and we’re always having a great time with each other. When you see this band play now there is so much conviction. There’s so much determination that this band is pouring out from the stage. It’s a really qualifying experience and when our fans look at us now more than ever they are saying ‘that’s Judas Priest and they are like no other metal band on the planet. Are giving us something particularly unique in this genre of metal.’ But Toronto has a cool vibe and it’s always fun to walk on Yonge Street!”