With a truly extraordinary voice that can go from piercing falsetto caterwauling to burly pronouncements in the space of a single song, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford is one of the defining vocalists in heavy metal – and as the band gear up to release new album Invincible Shield, he’ll be answering your questions.
Halford’s history with the Midlands group stretches back almost to their very earliest days, joining them in 1973 and recording their debut album Rocka Rolla the following year. Somewhat in the shadow of punk rock for the remainder of the decade, they carved out a niche in the growing new wave of British heavy metal, particularly due to Halford’s theatricality and the band’s highly influential look: all studded leather and S&M chic.
By 1980, they were in the UK Top 5 with the album British Steel, and they became global metal icons that decade, with their high-energy sound proving influential on the growth of thrash and speed metal even as Judas Priest themselves opted for a glossier sound. Halford left in the early 90s and while the band continued, it was his return in 2003 that kicked off a bountiful second phase: four increasingly popular albums culminating in a return to the Top5 in 2018 with Firepower. In the years away from the band he had three side projects – Fight, 2wo and Halford – and also came out as gay, later telling the Guardian it was “the greatest thing I could have done for myself”.
Now 72, he’s had a remarkable life – post your questions about it in the comments below before 3pm GMT on Friday 1 March, and we’ll publish his answers the following Friday.
