Heavy metal shepherds Judas Priest were announced as inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on May 4 of this year, and speaking with Metal Pilgrim, vocalist Rob Halford said the induction was a milestone moment for the genre.
"It's wonderful…. And as we've said many, many times, this is just a wonderful moment for not only Priest but for heavy metal in general in that building, in that Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame… And we need to get some more metal in as soon as possible. But for Priest, a British heavy metal band in an American institution is a very sweet time.
"Whether you're a Priest fan or not, we're all in this together. We're all supporting, loving, fighting for metal, keeping the heavy metal flag and fire burning. That's what we've done since we started, that's what we're doing now. And that's what we will do forever."
You can watch the full interview with Halford below, where he touches on a wide-range of topics, including the roots of metal and the legacy of Priest as the band remains strong after five decades.
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on November 5. The Hall will formally induct current members Halford, bassist Ian Hill, guitarist Glenn Tipton, and drummer Scott Travis, plus former guitarist K.K. Downing, drummer Les Binks, and late drummer Dave Holland.
Judas Priest has also announced another leg of their 50 Heavy Metal Years tour to kick off this October. The tour will feature Queensrÿche as openers, and you can get the full routing below.
10/13 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale
10/15 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena
10/16 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall Fenway
10/18 – Uniondale, NY at Nassau Veterans
10/19 – Wilkes-Barre, PA @ Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
10/21 – Kalamazoo, MI at Wings Event Center
10/22 – Detroit, MI at Masonic Temple Theatre
10/24 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center
10/25 – Waukegan, IL @ Genesee Theatre
10/27 – Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center Theater
10/29 – Moline, IL @ TaxSlayer Center Moline
10/30 – Mankato, MN @ Mayo Clinic Event Center
11/1 – Sioux City, IA @ Tyson Events Center
11/2 – Rapid City, SD @ The Monument
11/7 – Ontario, CA @ Toyota Center
11/8 – Tucson, AZ @ TCC Arena
11/10 – Loveland, CO @ Budweiser Events Center
11/12 – Park City ,KS @ Hartman Arena
11/13 – St. Charles, MO @ The Family Arena
11/15 – Corbin, KY @ The Corbin Arena
11/17 – Southaven, MS @ Landers Center
11/18 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Raising Canes River Center
11/20 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
11/22 – San Antonio, TX @ Tech Port Center & Arena
11/23 – San Antonio, TX @ Tech Port Center & Arena
11/25 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory – Deep Ellum
11/26 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street
11/28 – Edinburg, TX @ Burt Ogden Arena
11/29 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
Judas Priest originally hit the studio earlier this year to record drums for their new album. In a recent interview, vocalist Rob Halford revealed that the band was back again to begin tracking the follow-up to 2018's Firepower. "We've stopped kicking the tires and now we're in tracking," he said. "You can never have enough songs when you're making an album. Songs that you didn't even know you had bits and pieces and fragments of, suddenly they become an incredibly important part of your record." Halford also spoke a little about how the music sounds so far, saying "it's good, because there are some elements in there that we've never… kind of discovered before."
