In a new interview with Variety, legendary Judas Priest singer Rob Halford talks about his new autobiography Confess and whether fans would accept him coming out as a gay man.

“For my bandmates, they were accepting and understanding of my role as a singer who incidentally happens to be gay,” Halford explains. "They knew; management knew; the label knew. So the acceptance was a beautiful thing. However, we were up against this wall of, “Look, at this particular time in metal, you’re in a very alpha-dominated type of experience, and we feel that if you were to step forward and say, ‘Hey, I’m a gay guy,’ damage could be done.” I mean, that’s hard to take, isn’t it? There were certainly indications [because of] the way gay were treated and, still to some extent today, that you don’t talk about it. It’s valuable to reflect on these times because that was part of what the gay movement was going through, in terms of standing up and proclaiming, “This is who we are.”

Read more at Variety.

Rob Halford's warts and all autobiography, Confess, will be released on September 29 via Hachette Books. Amazon pre-orders are available now for North America and The UK.

A description of the book follows...

 Most priests take confessions. This one is giving his.

Rob Halford, front man of global iconic metal band Judas Priest, is a true 'Metal God'. Raised in Britain's hard-working heavy industrial heartland he and his music were forged in the Black Country. Confess, his full autobiography, is an unforgettable rock 'n' roll story - a journey from a Walsall council estate to musical fame via alcoholism, addiction, police cells, ill-starred sexual trysts and bleak personal tragedy, through to rehab, coming out, redemption... and finding love.

Now, he is telling his gospel truth.

Told with Halford's trademark self-deprecating, deadpan Black Country humour, Confess is the story of an extraordinary five decades in the music industry. It is also the tale of unlikely encounters with everybody from Superman to Andy Warhol, Madonna, Jack Nicholson and the Queen. More than anything else, it's a celebration of the fire and power of heavy metal.

Rob Halford has decided to Confess. Because it's good for the soul.