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)
Heavy Metal gd
Judas Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go tearing through my senses
It's for the strong, not for the weak
In light and dark dimension
It stimulates, regenerates
It's therapeutic healing
It lifts our feet up off the ground
Between the eyes
I hear it screaming
And it electrifies
Your inner feelings
Hot shock waves charge the air
All heads are banging
Fists pumping everywhere
Guitars are cranking
Heavy metal, heavy metal
What do you want
Heavy metal, heavy metal
What do you want
Ten thousands lights come blazing down
With razor sharp precision
The speakers pour out molten steel
The beat gives double vision
An armor plated raging beast
That's born of steel and leather
It will survive against all odds
Stampeding on forever
Between the eyes
I hear it screaming
And it electrifies
Your inner feelings
Hot shock waves charge the air
All heads are banging
Fists pumping everywhere
Guitars are cranking
Heavy metal, heavy metal
What do you want
Heavy metal, heavy metal
What do you want
The lyrics of Judas Priest's "Heavy Metal" are a vivid description of the experience of listening to heavy metal music. The power chords that "come crashing down" and "tear through" the senses are not for the weak; heavy metal music requires a certain strength and endurance to fully appreciate its intensity. The song describes how heavy metal can stimulate and regenerate, making it therapeutic and healing. It also has the power to lift people up off the ground and "blast" them through the ceiling.
The chorus of the song declares "heavy metal, heavy metal, what do you want?" as if asking the genre itself what its purpose is. The lyrics seem to suggest that heavy metal is both a release and a refuge for its fans. The hot shock waves charging the air and the fists pumping everywhere convey a sense of liberation and freedom that heavy metal provides.
The verses of the song describe heavy metal as an "armor plated raging beast" that is "born of steel and leather." The music will always survive and stampede on, regardless of the odds against it. The lyrics also emphasize the sensory experience of heavy metal with "ten thousand lights blazing down" and "speakers pouring out molten steel."
Overall, "Heavy Metal" serves as a celebration of the music genre and its power to provide a sense of community, liberation, and sensory stimulation to its listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
When the power chords come crashing down
The strong and intense sound of the guitar riffs impacts my senses with great force.
Go tearing through my senses
The sound is so powerful that it resonates deeply within me, creating an almost physical sensation.
It's for the strong, not for the weak
Heavy metal is music that demands resilience and toughness to appreciate and withstand its intensity.
In light and dark dimension
Heavy metal has the power to evoke emotions and moods in both positive and negative ways, reflecting different dimensions of human experience.
It stimulates, regenerates
Heavy metal can spark energy and vitality in people's lives, helping to renew their spirits amid challenges and obstacles.
It's therapeutic healing
Heavy metal can serve as a form of therapy that helps people cope with emotions, traumas, and other psychological issues.
It lifts our feet up off the ground
Heavy metal has the power to transcend mundane and earthly concerns, providing a sense of transcendence and elevation.
And blasts us through the ceiling
Heavy metal can take us to new heights of experience and consciousness, freeing us from limitations and constraints.
Between the eyes
The impact of heavy metal is aimed at the core of our being, our senses, and our consciousness, hitting us with full force in the face.
I hear it screaming
Heavy metal has a vocal quality that expresses intense emotions and messages, giving voice to the roar of humanity's passions and struggles.
And it electrifies
Heavy metal charges us with energy, excitement, and empowerment, as if we were electrically charged by its power.
Your inner feelings
Heavy metal resonates with our deepest, most personal emotions and desires, expressing and amplifying what lies within us.
Hot shock waves charge the air
The energy and intensity of heavy metal creates a palpable vibration or shock wave that electrifies the atmosphere around us.
All heads are banging
The physical response to heavy metal is often to bang one's head in rhythm, expressing the primal urge to move and respond to the music.
Fists pumping everywhere
Heavy metal inspires a sense of unity and solidarity among fans, who raise their fists in a sign of allegiance and defiance.
Guitars are cranking
The sound of heavy metal guitars is often characterized by distortion, feedback, and other effects that create a harsh, aggressive tone.
What do you want
The refrain of the song asks listeners what they want from heavy metal, challenging them to articulate their desires and expectations from this powerful and complex genre.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GLENN RAYMOND TIPTON, KENNETH DOWNING, ROBERT HALFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Hemphill
in my opinion, this is J.P. 's best song ever. G.T. is so masterful. the songs speaks of how the music just surrounds everything and lets it all come to life......it will survive against all odds!!!