Yes, heavy metal is full of
bands with ridiculous names like “Austrian Death Machine,” “Cattle
Decapitation,” and “Goatwhore.” Yes, those bands still wear leather jackets,
studded wristbands, and black jackboots. Yes, unless you’re a teenager
wallowing through the torture that is high school, you probably don’t give a
lick for today’s bloated heavy metal scene.
But hard rock fans the world
over took notice when metal gods Judas Priest reformed in 2004. This Birmingham,
England, tour de force wrote the book on dual-guitar attacks, demonic
undercurrents, outlandish metal fashion, and motorcycle stage props way back in
the mid 1970s, and after dominating the charts for a solid decade — not
to mention spawning nearly every metal offshoot known to man — the Priest
broke up in 1992.
But an offer to perform with
hometown chaps Black Sabbath on the Ozzfest circuit was too good to pass up,
and Judas Priest has risen from the ashes to release two ear-massacring studio
albums (Angel Of Retribution and Nostradamus) and re-conquer the live
heavy metal world. EasternSurf.com spoke
with surprisingly cheerful bassist Ian Hill about the band’s roots, breaking
free from the blues-rock format, and the evolution of speed metal.
ESM: Alright
Ian, take us back to the beginning. How did Judas Priest come together?
Ian Hill: Oh
wow, that’s a long time ago... 1969 [laughs].
KK [Downing] and myself were playing in a trio with John Ellis on drums, and
there was this other band called Judas Priest at the time. They were only
together for six months or so, and after they split up, the vocalist from the
original act [Al Atkins] walked past the rehearsal room one day and asked K.K.
and myself if we wanted a vocalist. Of course we couldn’t sing, so it was a bit
of a no-brainer. After that, a lot of head scratching ensued; we couldn’t think
of a decent name for the new band, so [Al] called the other members up from the
old act, and asked if they’d mind if we used “Judas Priest.” None of them did,
so we carried on with that.
ESM: At
the time, did you realize you were creating an entirely new musical genre that
would go on to enjoy such worldwide success?
IH: Everybody
at the time was doing the blues format — if somebody else is already
doing it, it’s very difficult to be innovative. So we made a conscious effort
to steer clear of the 12-bar blues and get on to a more progressive format. And
it went from there.
ESM: In
the late ‘70s, you guys started shortening your song lengths and throwing in catchier
hooks. Was that a conscious decision to appeal more to the mainstream?
IH: I
think Glenn [Tipton] carried along really with the more commercial side of
things, songs like “Rocka Rolla,” “Living After Midnight,” stuff like that. Of
course there were also always requests there to do cover versions, so we played
a couple of those: one by Spooky Tooth, Fleetwood Mac, Joan Baez.
ESM: Joan
Baez, huh? That doesn’t jibe with your whole leather-jackets-and-studs look.
How did that fashion sense come about?
IH: Let’s
see, cast your mind back… I think it went something like [lead singer] Rob
[Halford] walking into the room one day wearing a leather coat. It seemed to
fit perfectly with what we were doing musically. Then somebody else got a
leather coat, and somebody came up and put a couple of studs on it [laughs]. It just rolled from there. I
don’t think it was a real conscious effort, you know?
ESM: You
guys were the first heavy rock group to really explore speed metal stylings.
Where did that influence come from?
IH: We’d
been doing the faster stuff for a long time, songs like “Call For The Priest”
from [1977’s] Sin After Sin, or “Steeler”
from [1980’s] British Steel. Those
were whole records of fast metal, which would eventually evolve into speed
metal. And of course we were always into the heavier side of things, like
“Victim Of Changes“ or “Pain And Pleasure.” So we were already doing it, you
know? The new wave of heavy metal came along and started to refine that into
different sorts of pigeonholes — speed metal, grunge, goth metal, stuff
like that. But we’ve been doing all of it for a long time.
ESM: On
your current tour you’re playing British
Steel live in its entirety for the first time ever. Any particular reason?
IH: It was
a bit of a landmark, really. It was the first album with which we could
headline a tour in the States, which is a great landmark for any band really,
to be accepted by the American people. Somebody just happened to point out that
it’s been 30 years since we started writing and recording that, and we thought
what better tribute for the album than to go out and play it? The tracklisting
itself… there’s so many evergreen fan favorites that we play anyway, so it was
only a matter of putting in an extra four or five songs [laughs].
ESM: Tell
me about the band’s hiatus in the ‘90s and eventual hiring of a singer to
replace Rob.
IH: We
were determined to carry on with or without Rob. And Ripper Owens did a
tremendous job. In the long run, he probably saved the band. He was the only
one who could handle what Rob does. We listened to thousands of tapes of
prospective vocalists when Rob left, and when Ripper stepped up to the plate, he
started batting [laughs]. But he had
a hell of a large pair of shoes to fill. Of course, that was right up until Rob
started making overtures that he wouldn’t mind coming back to the band. There
wasn’t a single interviewer that didn’t ask me, “When’s Rob coming back?” It’s
really what everybody wanted, and he fell straight in. All along, we’ve always
been a band of brothers at the end of the day. And the songs are now being sung
exactly the way they’re supposed to be. That’s not taking anything away from
Ripper, because he’s got a tremendous voice. But it was good to have Rob back.
ESM: You
reunited for the 2004 Ozzfest, where you played with longtime friends Black
Sabbath. Too good of an opportunity to pass up?
IH: Oh,
absolutely. We put Angel Of Retribution
on hold just to do that. What an incredible bill, you know? Black Sabbath is
not only a great band, but they’re from the same town as we are. It was a great
atmosphere all around.
ESM: Are
you guys excited to be touring with another reunited British metal band,
Whitesnake?
IH: Yeah,
we’ve known David [Coverdale] for years as well, although David probably
wouldn’t like me saying that [laughs].
We went and worked with Whitesnake in South America a few years ago on the Angel Of Retribution tour and got along
like a house on fire, really.
ESM: Are
you a fan of any newer metal acts?
IH: I do
listen to the new stuff. Some of it’s very good, and I do enjoy it. But I’m
still listening to the stuff I was listening to 40 years ago [laughs]. It’s the stuff I was brought
up on, and it’s something that’s ingrained in me. If I were locked in a cell
for the rest of my life, I’d take the old albums with me.
ESM: Where
do you see Judas Priest going in the future?
IH: There’s
no plans to stop, that’s for sure. There’s still Nostradamus waiting there in the wings when we finish this round of
touring. We’re still planning on playing that album in its entirety, which is
really what it’s designed for.
ESM: Forty
years later, what’s the key to Judas Priest’s success?
IH: The
fact that we all keep getting up in the morning, I think. We really love what
we do for a living — I don’t think any of us could imagine life without
Judas Priest. It’s a tremendous kick, especially live work. Studio’s fine, but
playing in front of the fans and getting their reaction to their favorite songs
is tremendous. It really is.
Upcoming Judas Priest East Coast Tour Dates:
8/13
8/15
8/16
8/17
8/19
8/20
8/22
8/23
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Nokia Live Theater………………………………………... Grand Prairie, TX
St.
Augustine Amphitheatre……………………….…….. St. Augustine, FL
St.
Pete Times Forum………………………………...…. Tampa, FL
Seminole Hard Rock Arena…………………………….... Hollywood, FL
Germain Arena…………………………………………..... Estero, FL
Verizon
Wireless Amphitheatre @ Encore Park…….... Alpharetta, GA
Merriweather
Post Pavilion…………………………….... Columbia, MD
Meadowbrook
US Cellular Pavilion……………………... Gilford, NH
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For all things Judas Priest, visit www.judaspriest.com
or www.myspace.com/judaspriest
