UK metal gods JUDAS PRIEST announced recently that they would celebrating the 30th anniversary of their legendary 1980 album British Steel by performing the whole album in its entirety during their upcoming North American tour with WHITESNAKE.

BraveWords.com spoke to vocal icon Rob Halford this week about a number of topics including the much talked about tour which commences in late June at Murat Centre in Indianapolis, IN.

“I’m going to be going over to the UK shortly and getting into learning all the British Steel stuff,” Halford starts off. “Isn’t that great?! I’m so excited that we are coming back to the Molson Ampitheater so quickly. The last time we were there (in Toronto on August 13th, 2008) it was so explosive and off the hook and the time before that was just as intense. It’s remarkable. You know how sometimes everything becomes a blur, but those two shows are so vivid in my memory, absolutely vivid as anything just because of the amazing time the fans gave us. Fingers crossed we will get the same vibe going when we come back with Whitesnake.”

Since the band’s heyday in the ‘80s, Judas Priest have had to work hard at rebuilding their following - there was a time in markets like Toronto that it was a tough sell. “I don’t know what it is,” the Metal God responds. “It’s a combination of a lot of things when you think about it. For any band that has been making music for as long as Priest. It’s mixed up now. You’ve got your hardcore Priest fans, a lot of whom have been with us practically every step of the way and you’ve got the new generation of fans - some of these metalheads who are barely into their teens decide that Priest is the band for them and you can’t figure that out. Maybe you shouldn’t. More than anything, you have to feel good about the fact that the music is resonating for the new generation of metalheads in 2009 as much as British Steel or Sad Wings Of Destiny was for some fans that go way back. It’s remarkable. Having said that, other bands are doing the same thing. AEROSMITH with Toys In The Attic. Maiden just went out. We are all enjoying the fact that we know we can do this. We can step back and do something that maybe you can only do at a specific time in your career. That fact that we are celebrating 30 years of British Steel next year is mind-blowing and it needs to be addressed. That British Steel record is just a real kind of lynch-pin in the history of Priest.”

For younger fans British Steel is virtually a new release as they weren’t born when it was first issued in 1980. Many are investigating this record fully for the first time.

“They are definitely,” Halford agrees. “I listened to it a couple of times during the Priest Feast tour - just put the headphones on while I was on the bus and listened to it from the start to the end, which you rarely do with your own music for different reasons. But I was just so excited with the opportunity to play it all live because that record is just magical. The sound more than anything, the way Tom Allom produced it. The memories of doing it - we did it at JOHN LENNON/RINGO STARR’s house (Tittenhurst Park) in London. You can’t help but think about that when you are playing the music. Where the band was at that point in our career and just the after-affects of what British Steel means to millions of people around the world, both new and from the early days. Yes, it’s going to be great. We’ve never done this before. For Priest and a lot of other artists who have been able to stand the test of time, that is a chance to relish in a special moment and bring the past to the present.”

It’s the finish that some fans are craving, with the rarely played ‘The Rage’ and more importantly, ‘Steeler’ at the top of this writer’s list of required live moments to see before death!

“We’ve never done that live, I don’t believe,” the singer wonders (although we found it live below on YouTube). “If we did do it, we lost track. When we started to talk about doing this, the first part of the conversation was: ‘Have we performed all of these tracks live?’ We’ve done ‘Grinder’, ‘Breaking The Law’, ‘Living After Midnight’. We’ve done ‘United’. I don’t think we ever did ‘The Rage’. I think we did ‘You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise’. But we’ve never - that I recall - played ‘Rapid Fire’ or ‘Steeler’. And you are right, they are fierce, really fierce. And I just love the language as well; it’s really edgy language. It’s a lot of things, British Steel. It’s a lot of things musically and lyrically.”

When you hear bands from the black and death metal scenes citing Judas Priest as an influence, you can’t help but think that some of them were weaned on tracks like ‘Rapid Fire’ and ‘Steeler’. They are the precursor to extreme metal.

“They are angry aren’t they? Very angry,” Halford concurs. “And I can’t wait for that moment in the show to see the trade-off between Glenn (Tipton) and K.K. (Downing) as they start flying. It’s a relentless attack; that’s what it is. I love the way that it ends - the ending makes you feel that you are either dangling over the edge of a cliff or about to leap off the Tower Bridge in London. The emotional climax is amazing. You are dancing on hell-fire.”
“It’s going to be great of course and to be going out with David and the Whitesnake boys is an extra kick. Isn’t Slide It In 25 years old as well? (note: yes, released in 1984). It’s just a great combination of these two bands performing together. As you know we did it in South America a few years ago and we said if we ever have the opportunity to hook up again in North America we’d do it.”

At what point in the set will you be doing the album?

“We are going to start the whole show with ‘Rapid Fire’. That’s the intent. We discussed it and we felt, because this is such an exciting and important moment, why don’t we start the show with British Steel? Play the entire album and then go into some of the back catalog. I just imagine in my mind, the first thing you hear is that great opening of ‘Rapid Fire’ which kind of roars in with a combination of guitars and that snare drum roll. Boom! ‘Pounding the world like a battering ram.’ What a great way to start a show.”

Is there a formal reissue/deluxe edition of British Steel being planned?

“We want to give it a real nice moment and of course the official 30th anniversary is April or May - 12 months from now (note: April 14th to be exact). We’ve got some time to ramp it up and get ready. The official 30th anniversary should see a real nice selection of different types of packaging. I hope we’ll get a chance to film and record the tour as well. We want to make it a real special treat for everybody next year.”

Stay tuned for more of BW&BK;’s chat with the Metal God here at BraveWords.com!