Christmas may be but a distant memory and the New Year spirit now flat as a fart and if that wasn’t bad enough, the UK has been in the grip of the most ferocious winter for two decades and something special was needed to break out of the ice encrusted lethargy that was hanging ever so heavy.
Well, the Priest Feast had arrived just in time. With a bill comprising veteran San Francisco thrashers, Testament, Metal legends Megadeth and the mighty Judas Priest, this was the first big tour of 2009 and what a way to kick start the year. Incredibly there had been some murmurings on the internet that the bill was too Heavy!!! Too Heavy??!! Well, if that’s what you think then you’re into the wrong music and you maybe need to check out the latest Justin Timberlake show instead. This is SUPPOSED to be Heavy.
In putting this show together the Promoter got it bang on with their choice of acts. What they DID get wrong was the selection of venues. Why they decided to put on shows in Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield is beyond comprehension. All of the venues are within pretty reasonable travelling distance of each other which resulted in the Nottingham show being cancelled. Maybe a show in Newcastle instead would have given a more even spread across the country.
Despite the close proximity of the other venues Sheffield Arena was pretty respectably full by the time Testament hit the stage. Their old school traditional brand of Thrash warmed things up nicely with some fine riffing and screaming solos from one of the genres finest exponents, Alex Skolnick. Chuck Billy is one imposing front man as he stalked the stage in front of ex-Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, who laid down the rapid fire back beat behind such monsters as title track to their latest album Formation of Damnation.
It was refreshing to see Testament having the full use of lights, a huge backdrop and a drum riser along with a large stage area rather than being restricted to the end of the stage with a couple of spotlights. Credit to Priest for giving the opening act a decent stage on which to perform.
Megadeth led by the flame haired Dave Mustaine notched the tempo up a notch or two after getting off to a slow start. By the time the excellent “Tout Le Monde” had been aired and the rarely played “She Wolf”, Megadeth dipped into the crowd pleasing classics and “In My Darkest Hour”, “Hangar 18”, “Symphony of Destruction” and “Peace Sells” set the mosh pit swirling wildly at the front.
With the atmosphere coming to the boil it was soon time for the definitive Metal band of them all to hit the stage. Judas Priest have never been the band to do the expected. After their genre defining British Steel album they took a left turn producing something altogether slicker, glossier and more commercial than before in Point of Entry. After the Metallic Defenders of the Faith who would have expected the hi-tec synth drenched Turbo? Say what you like about Priest but “predictable” and “boring” are not words that could be used to describe them.
Last year Priest issued their second album since iconic lead singer Rob Halford rejoined after a ten year hiatus. Nostradamus again was a big change from what everyone expected from the band with an altogether more symphonic feel than previous records containing orchestral sections, keyboards, acoustic guitars and even features Halford singing in Italian. In the new Millennium it was certainly a brave move by any band to release a double concept album about the life of a 16th century prophet. As an album it split the fan base with some loving it and others hating it. Nostradamus however, succeeded in proving the critics wrong by debuting on the Billboard Top 10, the highest chart position of their career.
Priest promised to unleash some of the new album on the public when they hit the road as a precursor to a full blown concept show featuring the album in its entirety. No doubt this will be on the cards in the future but for now Priest would serve up a feast of classics interjected with a couple from the new album.
Set against a backdrop featuring the cover of Nostradamus, Scott Travis’s huge drum kit was flanked by two enormous staircases and ramps stretching right across the stage. Following the moody opener “Dawn of Creation”, “Prophecy” from the aforementioned album thundered out in its full glory, coming across far harder and leaner than its studio counterpart. A silver cloak, staff clutching Halford appeared from nowhere at the top of the stage standing virtually motionless throughout the song before his slow descent down the staircase during “Metal Gods”.
By the time “Eat Me Alive” was unleashed Halford was stomping across the stage in his colossal metal boots. “Between The Hammer and the Anvil” from Painkiller, the template to 90s Metal and beyond, was staggering. A cast iron riff combined with Halford’s powerful and abrasive vocal is what Metal is all about. This is surely one of Priest’s finest mid-tempo Rockers of their entire career.
Rob Halford has come under increasing scrutiny over the past couple of years with some saying that his voice has gone or that he can’t hit the high notes any longer. Well on tonight’s performance Halford sounded pretty damned good. Sure, those high notes might be out of his range these days but Halford more than compensates by his overall delivery. In “Devil’s Child” from Screaming for Vengeance the post solo section is done in a slightly lower key but loses none of its impact. “Messenger of Death” with its Sabbath-like doom laden riff sees Halford on top form sitting on a throne of all things. His vocal is stunning, expressive, powerful and stirring. Few singers can match Halford and even though he is a stone’s throw from 60 years old he leaves most of his peers standing.
Halford also has more costume changes throughout the show than Kylie, with silver cloaks, velvet trench coats and a variety of studded leather jackets. While the expected songs “Breaking The Law” and “The Hellion/Electric Eye” go down a storm, it is the long lost treasures like “Dissident Aggressor” that elicit huge cheers from the veteran section of the crowd and what a joy it was to hear such a gem after all these years.
“Angel” from Angel of Retribution slowed the pace down and showed that there’s more to Halford than screaming as he delivered a touching ballad to perfection.
“Sinner” and a thunderous “Painkiller” closed the set with guitarists KK Downing and Glen Tipton riffing as if their lives depended on it.
Returning to the stage with Halford astride his Harley Davidson and copious amounts of whammy bar frenzy from Tipton for a lively rendition of “Hell Bent For Leather” Priest kept the classics coming and with “Green Manalishi” and traditional set closer, “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” it was all over for another show.
With an excellent supporting cast from Testament and Megadeth, Judas Priest topped a great value for money package with a performance of the highest calibre. With the classic riffs and soloing from Tipton and Downing, the thunderous rhythm section of Travis and Ian Hill and of course the stratospheric vocals of Halford, Priest are the definitive Metal act and continue to set the standard for all other Metal bands to follow. Even after 35 years in the game, Priest remains the greatest Metal band of them all.
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