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A documentary about Judas Priest is currently in production, promising an in-depth look at the metal legends’ captivating career spanning over five decades.
This project is one of those that seems long overdue. There’s certainly ample intriguing content to cover. Formed in 1969, well before their NWOBHM counterparts, Priest has weathered challenges that would have shattered lesser bands. One of the most infamous was the mid-1980s trial over alleged ‘subliminal messages’. Ridiculously, the parents of U.S. children who had taken their own lives sued the band, claiming they had included messages in their music urging listeners to ‘try suicide’ and ‘let’s be dead’.
Then there’s frontman Rob Halford, who broke significant ground in heavy metal by coming out as gay in the late 1990s. Thankfully, his greatest fears—that fans would reject him—did not materialize, and his, along with the band’s, reputation only grew stronger.
The documentary, titled The Ballad Of Judas Priest, is being co-directed by filmmaker Sam Dunn and Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave. It marks Morello’s first foray into filmmaking. A release date has yet to be announced.
In a statement, the band expressed: “We have lived and breathed metal for over five decades, and finally in this documentary, we are inviting our fans to witness our lives uncensored, in a never-before-seen way. The cassock comes off, revealing Priest in all its metal glory!”
“While many people may know Judas Priest for their massive hits that have shaped the heavy metal genre, there is so much more to their story,” Morello and Dunn noted. “This film will trace their incredible 50-year journey, capturing how Judas Priest defined not only the sound and look of metal but also made it a more inclusive space. We are thankful to the band for granting us such intimate, unfiltered access to their lives and look forward to sharing this film with metal fans worldwide.”
Judas Priest continues to forge ahead. The band still includes three members from their classic late-70s/early-80s lineup: Halford, bassist Ian Hill, and guitarist Glenn Tipton. They released their nineteenth album, Invincible Shield, last year and will embark on a North American co-headlining tour with Alice Cooper this autumn.
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