The band's membership has seen much turnover, including a revolving cast of drummers in the 1970s and the departure of singer Rob Halford in 1992. Tim "Ripper" Owens, formerly of Winter's Bane, replaced Halford in 1996 and recorded two albums with Judas Priest, before Halford returned to the band in 2003. The current line-up consists of Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis. The band's best-selling album is 1982's Screaming for Vengeance, with their most commercially successful line-up featuring Ian Hill, Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, guitarist K. K. Downing, and drummer Dave Holland. Tipton and Hill are the only two members of the band to appear on every album.
Halford's operatic vocal style and the twin guitar sound of Downing and Tipton have been a major influence on heavy metal bands. Judas Priest's image of leather, spikes, and other taboo articles of clothing were widely influential during the glam metal era of the 1980s. The Guardian referred to British Steel as the record that defines heavy metal. Despite a decline in exposure during the mid-1990s, the band has once again seen a resurgence, including worldwide tours, being inaugural inductees into the VH1 Rock Honors in 2006, receiving a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2010, and having their songs featured in video games such as Guitar Hero and the Rock Band series. In 2022, Judas Priest were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Priest
Studio albums
Rocka Rolla (1974)
Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Sin After Sin (1977)
Stained Class (1978)
Killing Machine (1978)
British Steel (1980)
Point of Entry (1981)
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Defenders of the Faith (1984)
Turbo (1986)
Ram It Down (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
Jugulator (1997)
Demolition (2001)
Angel of Retribution (2005)
Nostradamus (2008)
Redeemer of Souls (2014)
Firepower (2018)
Invincible Shield (2024)
Blood Stained
Judas Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Made every day
Religiously
Their sins
They hide
Can never disguise
Blood stained hands
Blood stained deeds
Blood stained lies
They wage their wars
Such profiteers
Will nail us all
Their crimes
Concealed
Despicably reveal
Blood stained hands
Blood stained times
Blood stained weapons
Blood stained lies
They fire at will
Intent to kill
They have no conscience
They have no conscience
Ethnic cleansing nothing more!
Blood of nations blood of war
Turn blind eyes
From all your crimes
You bare our souls
Show no remorse
You cannot wash
The bloodstains off
They turn their backs
While others
Commit grisly acts
We're scared
For life
By politicians' greedy
Blood stained hands
Blood stained times
Blood stained weapons
Blood stained crimes
Blood stained lands
Blood stained minds
Blood stained deeds
Blood stained lies
And while such predators
Stalk this earth
Disguised as saints
They kill our faith
Obsessed by greed
Lying through their teeth
They cannot wash
The blood stains off
The song "Blood Stained" by Judas Priest is a powerful statement about the atrocities committed by those who wage wars and profit from them. The lyrics are a commentary on the horrors of war and the hypocrisy of those who commit these crimes while hiding behind religion or politics. The lines "Atrocities made every day, religiously, their sins they hide, can never disguise" paint a picture of the constant violence and suffering inflicted by those in power. The use of the phrase "religious sins" hints at the manipulation of religion to justify these atrocities. The phrase "can never disguise" suggests that despite attempts to hide these atrocities, the truth will always come out.
The chorus, with its repetition of "Blood stained hands, blood stained times, blood stained deeds, blood stained lies" drive home the idea that the bloodshed and lies committed by those in power have stained the present and will continue to stain the future. The lines "ethnic cleansing nothing more, blood of nations blood of war" are a direct criticism of the genocide committed under the guise of ethnic cleansing.
The song ends with a condemnation of those who profit from war and deceive the masses. The lines "obsessed by greed, lying through their teeth, they cannot wash the blood stains off" are a scathing indictment of the leaders who lead their countries to war, without remorse for the deaths and destruction caused.
Line by Line Meaning
Atrocities
Unspeakable acts
Made every day
Daily occurences
Religiously
Relentlessly
Their sins
Their wrongdoings
They hide
They conceal
Can never disguise
Impossible to conceal
Blood stained hands
Hands covered in blood
Blood stained times
Violent times
Blood stained deeds
Actions that resulted in bloodshed
Blood stained lies
Falsehoods that lead to violence
They wage their wars
They engage in conflicts
Such profiteers
They seek to gain from it financially
Will nail us all
Everyone will be affected by it
Their crimes
Their unlawful activities
Concealed
Hidden
Despicably reveal
Vilely expose
Blood stained weapons
Weapons that have been used to kill
They fire at will
They shoot at anyone they want
Intent to kill
With the purpose of killing
They have no conscience
They feel no remorse
They have no conscience
They feel no remorse
Ethnic cleansing nothing more!
Elimination of certain groups of people
Blood of nations blood of war
War has caused many deaths
Turn blind eyes
Ignore what is happening
From all your crimes
From all the wrongs you have done
You bare our souls
You expose our innermost thoughts and feelings
Show no remorse
Display no guilt
You cannot wash
You cannot remove
The bloodstains off
The stains caused by violence
They turn their backs
They ignore
While others
Whilst some
Commit grisly acts
Carry out appalling acts of violence
We're scared
We feel fearful
For life
For the rest of our lives
By politicians' greedy
Because of the corrupt politicians' insatiable greed
Blood stained weapons
Weapons that have been used to kill
Blood stained crimes
Unlawful activities that resulted in bloodshed
Blood stained lands
Places where warfare occurred
Blood stained minds
Mentalities marked by violence
Blood stained deeds
Actions resulting in bloodshed
Blood stained lies
Falsehoods leading to violence
And while such predators
While such predators exist
Stalk this earth
Roam this planet freely
Disguised as saints
Posing as good people
They kill our faith
They destroy our trust in humanity
Obsessed by greed
Driven by their insatiable desire for more
Lying through their teeth
Speaking falsehoods
They cannot wash
They are unable to remove
The blood stains off
The marks left from their evil deeds
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLENN RAYMOND TIPTON, KENNETH DOWNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Douglas Carman
57 years old and still listening to heavy metal
Lordofchromium
I am odd I’m naught but 17… such an under appreciated genre amidst my kind. I have never been to any concerts but I will enjoy the archives of such powerful music.
Mark Poitras
Never too old! When you start believing you are, then it's over!
Andre Rone
I'm 52 years old and I'm still listening to heavy metal and loving it from beginning to end and will continue to love until the day I die thanks
Joe Dredd
58 and still listening every day !
Lillian Ortisi
Enjoy it because the law is at 58 you must stop
Jon Vester
The heaviest Priest album ever
Duncan Russell
Heavy yes, tuneful, no. Halford knows how to write a tune.
___And_Memes_For_All
I’d say Turbo is heavier
Lance Paddington
By far