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)
Secrets of the Dead
Judas Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Revealing only lies
A crescent moon casts ghostly shapes
As somewhere some thing flies
We let ourselves be bled
Secrets of the dead
Man's triumphs had no bounds
Left starving by our own mistakes
The sands reclaimed their ground
We let ourselves be bled
Secrets of the dead
Time takes us down so deep
Is this the place we seek?
Secrets of the dead
Secrets of the dead
We never learn form our mistakes
Imperfect till the end
You can't pick up the pieces
And the hearts we break can't mend
As if they knew the gift they brought
Was wasted on this earth
They searched out for a better race
On whom to bring rebirth
We let ourselves be bled
Secrets of the dead
We let ourselves be bled
Secrets of the dead
Where angels fear to tread
The secrets of the dead
Where angels fear to tread
The secrets of the dead
The lyrics of "Secrets of the Dead" by Judas Priest depict how the truth is often buried beneath lies that are revealed through the shifting sands. The crescent moon casts ghostly shapes that hint at some ominous presence flying somewhere. The lines that read "we let ourselves be bled, secrets of the dead" metaphorically refer to how humans are allowing themselves to be exploited and bled out for the secrets that are buried deep in history.
The song is a commentary on how humans have been deserted by ghosts who were witnesses to human triumphs without boundaries. The lyrics suggest that humans have starved themselves through their mistakes, and the sands have reclaimed the world. Despite the numerous lessons that history has provided humankind, we seem to be repeating our mistakes and paying for them with unimaginable losses. The closing lines imply that the secrets of the dead are where angels would not dare to tread, but humanity continues to seek the truth within these hidden secrets.
Line by Line Meaning
The shifting sands conceal the truth
The truth is buried beneath the ever-changing facade of lies and deceit.
Revealing only lies
The constantly shifting sands expose only falsehoods rather than what is real.
A crescent moon casts ghostly shapes
The faintly glowing shape of the moon casts shadows of spirits or the unknown.
As somewhere some thing flies
Occasionally strange and unidentified objects fly above us in the unknown.
We let ourselves be bled
People allow themselves to be emotionally or physically drained or taken advantage of.
Secrets of the dead
Some long-hidden secrets are best left unsaid or simply belong to the past and the deceased.
Deserted by the ghosts that knew
The unknown or unseen forces that were once present, have deserted us or are no longer familiar.
Man's triumphs had no bounds
Humans reach impressive accomplishments, but there is always an endpoint or limit.
Left starving by our own mistakes
Poor choices and our own errors lead to our downfall and misfortune.
The sands reclaimed their ground
The harsh and unforgiving terrain of the desert has taken back all that it has lost.
Time takes us down so deep
The passage of time takes us further into the unknown or darker aspects of our existence.
Is this the place we seek?
Are we on the right path or is it too late to turn back and find a more fulfilling life?
We never learn from our mistakes
As human beings, we continuously repeat mistakes instead of learning from them.
Imperfect till the end
Perfection is impossible to attain, and even in our final moments, we are imperfect beings.
You can't pick up the pieces
Once something is broken or destroyed, it cannot be put back together as it once was.
And the hearts we break can't mend
The emotional pain we cause others cannot be undone or take away the past.
As if they knew the gift they brought
Certain forces or beings have knowledge of the greater good or purpose.
Was wasted on this earth
That knowledge or insight is rendered useless and without meaning by mankind.
They searched out for a better race
Enlightened beings seek out a more evolved or advanced species to share their knowledge with.
On whom to bring rebirth
They want to impart newfound wisdom to others in the hopes of leading to a better tomorrow.
Where angels fear to tread
Dangerous or unchartered territory where few would dare to venture.
The secrets of the dead
Mysteries and untold knowledge of past generations that remain hidden and unsolved for eternity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GLENN RAYMOND TIPTON, RICHARD FAULKNER, ROBERT HALFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LordGandor3
If you like doom & gloom I know for a fact the ruling oligarchy vampires are about to start WW3 to kill off 6.8 billion people. The Rothschilds/Rockefellers/Windsors & many other vampire families are all inbred into one vampire bloodline that's been controlling the world since ancient Egypt. With technology they've cloned Nephilim Giants who were the offspring of fallen Angels. They've cross hybridized them with wolves to create Lycanthropes. With giant bats to create Demonic looking winged Reptilians. By cross hybridizing species they've been able to create Dragons.
Dragonaut
Judas Priest
Welcome to my world of steel
Master of my domain
Cower as the pain's unsealed
Disasters where I'll reign
Father of Sin
I'll drag you all in
Bow down as I petrify
Fire in the sky
Paralyzed with fear
You know you're gonna die
Dragonaut is near
Icon to the fall of man
Worshipped like a king
Fearless as I now condemn
Every living thing
Father of Sin
I'll drag you all in
Bow down as I petrify
Fire in the sky
Paralyzed with fear
You know you're gonna die
Dragonaut is near
Father of Sin
I'll drag you all in
Bow down as I petrify
Relish the blaze
Left all in a daze
He came and consumed and let fly
Fire in the sky
Paralyzed with fear
You know you're gonna die
Dragonaut is near
Fire in the sky
Paralyzed with fear
You know you're gonna die
Dragonaut is near
They control all weather worldwide with HAARP frequency. Billions of watts of frequency is used to create hurricanes, tornadoes, brutal winters, drought, wind driven wildfires, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions & earthquakes. They control all governments. They decide when countries go to war for population control & profit. The Rothschilds own a central bank in almost every country including the US Federal Reserve which makes them multi trillionaires. The US national debt is $20.637 trillion. The Rothschild banking cartel owns that debt. They control the IMF which will soon declare the US dollar insolvent causing economic collapse around the world. The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse are engineered Famine, vaccine induced Disease, WW3 & Government death camps with guillotines....SOME HEADS ARE GONNA ROLL.
dani alex
The shifting sands conceal the truth
Revealing only lies
A crescent moon casts ghostly shapes
As somewhere some thing flies
We let ourselves be bled
Secrets of the dead
Deserted by the ghosts that knew
Man's triumphs had no bounds
Left starving by our own mistakes
The sands reclaimed their ground
We let ourselves be bled
Secrets of the dead
Time takes us down so deep
Is this the place we seek?
Secrets of the dead
Secrets of the dead
We never learn form our mistakes
Imperfect till the end
You can't pick up the pieces
And the hearts we break can't mend
As if they knew the gift they brought
Was wasted on this earth
They searched out for a better race
On whom to bring rebirth
We let ourselves be bled
Secrets of the dead
We let ourselves be bled
Secrets of the dead
Where angels fear to tread
The secrets of the dead
Flopus
I'm honestly surprised this album is not more popular, wtf? it's definitely good enough to be way more popular
Stickle Back
its underrated for sure
Andrei Chiritescu
No Kk downing. That's why...
CryptoMoonShot89
Maybe people thought it'd be crap because KK left the band. Ritchie Faulkner is a great fill in but noone can replace KK Downing. It has some great songs on it though imho.
kentworch
Amen to that.
Rhonda Evans
@Sakhile Mthembu One of my favorite Priest albums!
Salazar
the album goes easy at first, pretty good, you could have it in the background while doing something else. But then comes a point where you have to leave everything on hold and apreciate the brilliance of it.
channel5980
It has pretty good songs, but they aren't the majority, unfortunately.
janborrowitz
+Mario V. Salazar : an exact description
Juan Jose Hernandez Figeroa
Oh God... How can someone can make a song like this? A FUCKING MASTER PIECE! Only Metal Gods can! What a powerful riff, accompanied with the perfect beat on drums by Scott Travis! And minute 3:27... Again... Oh God... They know the perfect way of making me cry... Epic... Simply EPIC! Surely one of the greatest in the album!