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The Latest Breaking News from KK Downing

"A blistering, molten metal masterpiece": Judas Priest revive themselves on Painkiller before Rob Halford's decade-long hiatus

Judas Priest follow up the lukewarm Turbo and the tepid Ram It Down with the red-hot Painkiller

Louder

The ‘metal Yardbirds’ assemble at Back to the Beginning – as Billy Corgan, Adam Jones and Tom Morello put on a supergroup set that’s been years in the making

K.K. Downing, Rudy Sarzo and Danny Carey joined the trio to perform Judas Priest and Black Sabbath cuts

Guitar World

Every guitar hero, special guest and all-star cover from Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s epic Back to the Beginning farewell show

Jake E. Lee, Ronnie Wood and Nuno Bettencourt were among the six-string royalty joining the likes of Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira for the nine-hour celebration

Guitar World

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Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne: Back to the Beginning review – all-star farewell to the gods of metal is epic and emotional

The biggest names in rock, from Metallica to Slayer, came to pay tribute to the men who created their entire genre – and even in old age, Sabbath’s sound has bludgeoning force

The Guardian - UK

Here's every single special guest and song played from Black Sabbath's Back To The Beginning show

Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira amongst a cast of superstar guests as Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath play live for the last time

Metal Hammer

“Judas Priest were doing something different. Black Sabbath gave us a real confidence boost to carry on what we were doing”: K.K. Downing on coming up with fellow metal gods Black Sabbath in Birmingham, and why no-one can play like Tony Iommi

They are from the same city, sharing a similar mission, and this weekend they will gather for one last push for metal as the former Judas Priest man steps onstage to celebrate Black Sabbath

Guitar World

“The smashing glass, the police sirens — it’s telling a story with sound. You’re seeing a movie running through your head”: In a house that was home to two Beatles, a heavy metal masterpiece was born

Featuring pool cues, cutlery and other assorted effects

MusicRadar

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"No one phoned me. They never contacted me and I thought, 'Well, I'm not going to bother contacting them either'": Ex-Judas Priest drummer Les Binks has died aged 73

“The acclaimed drumming he provided was first class – demonstrating his unique techniques, flair, style and precision”

MusicRadar

“Ringo Starr set down rules for us to follow. There was to be no riding of motorbikes on the grounds – so we did that. What do you expect from a heavy metal band?” The crazy story of British Steel, the album that turned Judas Priest into superstars

1980’s British Steel officially sealed Judas Priest’s status as metal gods

Metal Hammer

“Don’t relationships always get nasty in the end? A few knives get stuck in and before you know it, it’s out of control”: How Judas Priest reunited with Rob Halford to regain the metal throne with Angel Of Retribution

In late 2004, Classic Rock joined the reunited Judas Priest on the road in Spain

Metal Hammer

“The fastest album they’d made, chock full of hard-headed riffs and squealing solos”: Every song on Judas Priest’s Painkiller ranked from worst to best

As The Metal Gods gear up to celebrate Painkiller’s 35th anniversary, we revisit and re-order every track on their evolutionary opus

Metal Hammer

The best new rock songs you need to hear right now

Including Jerry Cantrell, David Gilmour, Thundermother and five other custodians of the eternal rock'n'roll flame

Louder

4 brilliant new metal bands you need to hear this month

From NWOBHM-revivalists Tailgunner to existential post-metallers Kollapse, Austrian folk-tinged black metal heroes Perchta and UK hopefuls Defects, these are the new metal bands you need to hear in August 2024

Metal Hammer

10 bands that defined Wacken 2024

From Accept's triumphant trad metal to the flamethrowing folk of Feuershwanz, these were the bands that ruled Wacken Festival 2024

Metal Hammer

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Metal Hammer

The 100 songs that changed metal

From founding fathers like Black Sabbath, Rainbow and Judas Priest to metal's modern leaders such as Ghost, Sleep Token and Spiritbox, these are the songs that have defined a genre

Metal Hammer

“What we’ve done is to move beyond metal. There are so many ideas here that expand our horizons”: how Judas Priest reached for the sky with divisive double album Nostradamus

Judas Priest released their controversial double album Nostradamus on June 16, 2008

Guitar World

“I’ve never been a shredder. I’m never going to out-do Yngwie Malmsteen. I’m more from the Schenker and Blackmore school”: Judas Priest’s Richie Faulkner on the secret to headbanger riffs, and half-nailing, half-blagging the Painkiller solo

Judas Priest's Invincible Shield finds the British metal institution surviving against the odds. Its very own bionic man Richie Faulkner gives us the guitar POV on a venerable work of British steel

Metal Hammer

"You look at all these people who are giving you the horns, from Eminem to Lionel Ritchie, and you think: Is this really happening?": Judas Priest on awards shows, Invincible Shield and the beauty of cats

With Invincible Shield their third genuinely great album in a row, Judas Priest's late-career purple patch continues

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Metal Hammer

“I’m always ready for a kitty cat!” We gave Judas Priest legend Rob Halford a load of kittens to play with and asked him about heavy metal, becoming a gay icon and (sort of) being Dolly Parton's BFF

Rob Halford, a room full of kittens and a leather codpiece - what more could you ask for?

Metal Hammer

“We were broke. We couldn’t even afford food or drink. That’s how bad things were”: how Judas Priest’s Sad Wings Of Destiny finally set them on the path to heavy metal immortality

Judas Priest’s landmark second album Sad Wings Of Destiny was released on this day in 1976

Guitar World

K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton brought British steel to the world with Judas Priest – learn the secrets behind the metal gods’ seminal rhythm style

Fall to your knees and repent if you please, it’s time to dial it back to Priest’s glory days with a lesson that’ll whip your eighth and 16th-note rhythm playing into shape

Louder

Rob Halford may look like Santa Claus in fetish gear, but his vocal is still the unrelenting, glass-breaking scream of a man 50 years younger, and Judas Priest's Invincible Shield is pristine and powerful

Judas Priest's late-career renaissance continues apace with thundering nineteenth album Invincible Shield

Metal Hammer

Richie Faulkner isn’t sure if Judas Priest will make another album after Invincible Shield: “You never know what the future holds”

Judas Priest’s guitarist doesn’t rule out the idea of the band’s new, 19th album being their last

Metal Hammer

Watch the full video of K.K.’s Priest, featuring ex-Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, at Bloodstock 2023

Ex-Judas Priest members K.K. Downing and Tim “Ripper” Owens played an hour of classics and originals at the Derbyshire metal festival in August

Metal Hammer

"I used to shut the curtains, put on the headphones, drop the needle and not move a muscle till the final note": This is the soundtrack of K.K. Downing's life

Former Judas Priest man K.K. Downing picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and reveals why he prefers his new stuff to the old stuff

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