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)
Pestilence and Plague
Judas Priest Lyrics
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Make us perish with hungry
Starvation and drought
Are unleashed on this earth
Reap what you sow from our bleed and our treasures
Far more than we need now
Far more than we're worth
La tentazione (The Temptation)
Cercando la Gloria (To search the Glory)
Il prezzo da pagare (The thing to pay)
E la caduta dell'uomo (Is the fall of man)
How can we live in despair and in sorrow
Our children are lost with all that we love
Winds spreading for to lay waste to our culture
Civilizations ignite from above
[Chorus: ]
This world revolves
And I fore tell
The end of men
Resides in hell
For you can see
That in my heart
We will be
[Chorus: ]
The lyrics of Judas Priest's song Pestilence and Plague seem to explore the idea of punishment and retribution for the sins of humanity. The storms from the gods mentioned in the first verse represent the wrath brought upon the earth by a higher power. Hunger, starvation, drought, and devastation are what the earth has to suffer as a result of humanity's greed and excess. The chorus, which is in Italian, translates to "The Temptation, to search the glory, the thing to pay, is the fall of man." This chorus can be interpreted as a warning to people who are tempted by the lure of power, riches, and glory; there is a price to pay for such temptations, and it could lead to the downfall of humanity.
The second verse talks about how the world is plagued by despair and sorrow, and people are losing their loved ones, including their children. The winds mentioned here represent a force of destruction that lays waste to entire cultures and ignites civilizations from above. The final verse is a prophecy about the end of men residing in hell, indicating that the punishment for humanity's sins is eternal damnation. The lyrics are quite apocalyptic and reflect the band's penchant for dark and ominous themes.
Line by Line Meaning
Storms from the gods
Natural disasters caused by the gods
Make us perish with hungry
Cause us to suffer and potentially die from hunger
Starvation and drought
Lack of food and water due to weather conditions
Are unleashed on this earth
Are released and spread across the planet
Reap what you sow from our bleed and our treasures
Face the consequences of taking and exploiting resources from others
Far more than we need now
Have acquired more resources than necessary
Far more than we're worth
Have put more value on material possessions than on human life and well-being
[Chorus: ] La tentazione (The Temptation)
The idea of temptation
Cercando la Gloria (To search the Glory)
The pursuit of fame and success
Il prezzo da pagare (The thing to pay)
The price to be paid for our actions
E la caduta dell'uomo (Is the fall of man)
Will lead to the downfall of humanity
How can we live in despair and in sorrow
Why must we endure such suffering and pain
Our children are lost with all that we love
Our loved ones, particularly young generations, are vulnerable to the dangers of the world
Winds spreading for to lay waste to our culture
Forces destroying our way of life
Civilizations ignite from above
Societies are destroyed from external forces
[Chorus: ]
Reiteration of the chorus
This world revolves
The world rotates on its axis
And I fore tell
I predict and foresee
The end of men
The demise of humanity
Resides in hell
Will be in a place of eternal suffering
For you can see
It is clear and evident
That in my heart
My beliefs and feelings
We will be
We will face the consequences of our actions
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLENN TIPTON, GLENN RAYMOND TIPTON, K.K. DOWNING, KENNETH DOWNING, ROBERT HALFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind