The legendary heavy metal band, Judas Priest, will be in concert on 17 June at the Vistalegre Arena Palace, to present its latest album, Invincible Shield, and to run through its extensive professional career. The group is also accompanied by the metal support group, Saxon y Uriah Heep.
Having got together in Birmingham (United Kingdom) in 1969 by the soloist Al Atkins, it gets its name from the Bob Dylan song: The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest. In the early 1970s, Atkins listened to Freight, a group made up of K.K. Downing, Ian Hill and John Ellis. They had no singer and decided to join forces to form what later became known as Judas Priest. However, in 1973 Atkins gave way to Rob Halford as the lead singer of the band.
Their first big hit was British Steel (1980), with anthems like Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight, which catapulted the band to the height of commercial stardom. Other LPs followed, including Screaming for Vengeance (1982) and Defenders of the Faith (1984).
In the mid-1990s, the departure of Rob Halford marked a period of uncertainty, with Tim "Ripper" Owens taking over the microphone and leading Judas Priest down new sound paths. In 2003, Judas Priest experienced a renaissance with the return of Rob Halford and albums such as Angel of Retribution (2004) or Nostradamus (2008).
Thanks to all this, Judas Priest is one of the most prestigious heavy metal bands worldwide, having sold around 50 million copies and forming part of the Rock Hall of Fame since 2022.
