Judas Priest provide feast for metal lovers

As Midlands metal titans Judas Priest celebrate 35 pulverizing years, they are in leaner, meaner shape than for many years.

Judas Priest - Priest Feast

LG Arena, Birmingham NEC

By Ian Harvey

As Midlands metal titans Judas Priest celebrate 35 pulverizing years, it's a pleasure to report that they are in leaner, meaner shape than for some time.

Playing their hometown gig in the birthplace of heavy metal, the five-piece rolled back the years on the 'Priest Feast' tour with a crowd-pleasing set that also found time to include a handful of songs from their recent Nostrodamus concept album.

See our gig photo gallery below

What a shame then, that as they put on a show that easily eclipsed their Download appearance and their reunion gig at this same venue four years ago, that it should be to a half full arena.

Maybe it was the fact that it was Valentine's Night. Maybe it was down to the controversial choice, in some eyes, of support acts Megadeth and Testament, but surely Birmingham can do better than this.

What was heartening though was to see so many young faces in the crowd as Rob Halford led the veteran band through hits like Breaking The Law, Metal Gods and You've Got Another Thing Coming, as well as classic album tracks including Sinner and the breakneck Painkiller.

Priest have got the uncanny knack of being incredibly heavy yet hugely melodic at the same time and Halford's voice is still an incredible thing, able to soar through the stratosphere on occasions as KK Downing and Glenn Tipton provide the trademark Priest twin guitar attack.

The leather-clad singer was certainly more mobile than on previous recent occasions, at least when not perched on an ominous-looking throne or atop a shining, silver Harley Davidson. Otherwise he was rarely still, prowling the stage as if unable to remain in one place, in a variety of dramatic cloaks, gowns and cowls.

Tipton, meanwhile, looked much happier than his rather static performance at Download - this time equalling Downing in the guitar hero shape-throwing stakes.

American thrash legends Megadeth and Testament got the Priest Feast off to a brutal start, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine greeted like a long-lost hero as he wished all the Midlands "she wolves" a happy Valentine.

While there were many on internet forums who questioned the inclusion of these two bands on the bill, there was no doubting the voractiy of the welcome they received from those who did bother to turn out at the NEC and enjoy a Valentine's Night feast with a difference.nextpage