How Lack of Time Helped Judas Priest Find His “Entry Point”
The new Judas Priest box 50 years of heavy metal music presents a huge amount of material for any music fan to digest: 42 records bringing together their entire catalog as well as a multitude of rarities. Singer Rob Halford suggests 1981 Entry point as a good starting point, calling it an underrated entry in their discography.
The album came at a point in the band’s career that Halford says now puzzles him. “There was a period when we were breaking a record and one tour per year,” he told UCR. “I don’t know how we did this. My brain can’t even accept how it happened, but we did.
Due to the hectic nature of the band’s schedule at the time, Judas Priest found himself exploring new musical horizons. They didn’t have time to over-analyze what they were creating, which had a positive impact on the songs that emerged. “We were in a place back then as a band where we literally thought on our feet when it came to some aspect of our music,” says Halford.
Watch the video “Heading Out to the Highway” by Judas Priest
Classic Priest rockers like “Heading Out to the Highway” and “Hot Rockin ‘” would become set-list staples in the years following the album’s release, but Halford points out lesser-known album tracks. like ‘Don’t Go’ and ‘Turning Circles’ like other highlights. “‘Turning Circles’ isn’t ‘Painkiller’, but it’s still Judas Priest,” he notes. “I think that this album is worth listening to, probably more than some of the others.
“You listen to all the songs on Entry point, and this record alone tells the story of how this band has such a deep depth to try everything. “
Halford says the ’80s were an’ extraordinary ‘decade for the group in the United States, because'[heavy] metal was gaining ground. It is therefore not surprising that several unseen live performances from the time are featured on the box set (which arrives October 15). “Through these albums that Priest was doing at the time in the 80s, whether it was Turbo Where Scream for revenge“, he said,” these are the records our American fans have really hung on to. “
Watch the UCR interview with Rob Halford
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