JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford was asked by Metal Hammer Magazine for his thoughts on the current state of metal, to which he replied:
“I think we’re in great shape! We’ve seen metal grow from basically two bands – ourselves and Black Sabbath – and it’s fantastic that wherever you go in the world now there are metal bands of all different sizes.
“I’m listening to Power Trip, I really like what they’re doing, and even they reference the roots of metal in their work. I love Electric Wizard from the UK. It’s so diverse, and I love it all as well.
“I’m more of a classic metal guy, but I like what a band like In This Moment, who I worked with recently [on a song called ‘Black Wedding’], are doing. Across the board, metal is in great shape.”
Asked if there is “anything you’d like to see change about the scene,” Halford replied:
“I’d like to see a really great UK metal band come forward and start growing and dominating now. Britain is still the focus of such great music in the metal scene, and that’s a really great feeling.
“There’s a great opportunity now with all the various platforms that young metal bands can draw from to really experience it all, and if you like Priest, you’re bound to find something relatable from our realm.
“And that’s the great metal knock-on effect; I even see these young kids who are only just getting into Priest from listening to the bands we influenced. They have all this choice and they still go for Priest! It just goes to show, our music has no barriers.”
