Rob Halford

The gods of metal are whole again.

More than a decade after their split, Rob Halford will reunite with Judas Priest for an album and a tour in 2004.

"They will start working on songs together soon and we’re working with promoters to set up a world tour next year," said management spokesperson Jayne Andrews. Since the members of the group re-established contact with Halford in 1999, rumors of their reunion have been rampant.

"We’ve always stayed friendly and built bridges and gotten together from time to time," said Andrews. "We’ve all known Rob for 30 years, since the band[members] were 17 or 18 [years old], and they know each other’s families, so they got together to talk about old days and things just started to develop. The time just felt right for them now."

The metal legends — Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, bassist Ian Hill and later member, drummer Scott Travis — plan to record their first studio effort together since 1990’s Painkiller later this year for release next spring, followed by a tour that will celebrate their 30th anniversary.

Known for such anthems as "Breaking the Law," "Living After Midnight" and "You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’," Priest were one of the premier British metal bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s until their acrimonious split with Halford in the early '90s. Halford went on to release four albums with his bands Two, Fight and Halford, while Priest recruited a rabid fan who led a Priest tribute band, Tim "Ripper" Owens, to replace Halford on the 1997 album Jugulator.

Owens’ rags-to-riches story was so compelling that it was the basis for the fictionalized 2001 Mark Wahlberg/ Jennifer Aniston film "Rock Star." The second Ripper-led Priest studio album, Demolition, was released in 2001. With Halford back in, Ripper is obviously on the outs, but Andrews said the split was amicable.

A two-DVD live set with all of the band’s videos and an updated version of their Priest ... Live! concert disc will be released later this year.

• Judas Priest
• Rob Halford

Hello fellow children of the grave, how's it going? Iann Robinson here. I just got back from L.A., and it's good to be back in NYC finally. I got a chance to check out the Led Zeppelin DVD, and it's amazing. Anybody who wants to know how rock should be played has to check this thing out. It looks and sounds really cool.

I got a copy of the In Flames EP, and it's really good. I know there was some split on the last record productionwise, but nobody can deny that In Flames are one of the best metal bands going right now. The new song on this EP and the cover of "Land of Confusion" are my two favorite things. I highly suggest you pick this up. I also finally picked up the Premonitions of War CD. I'd only seen them live, and it was a real treat. It's always nice to hear death metal done well.

I got to see a screening of "Hulk," and I can tell you this much: the Hulk looks really good. I know we all feared from the trailers, but he looks killer. I'll reserve my opinion on the film until it's out, to let you guys make up your own minds. Well, that's it for me, take care and enjoy the metal news:

Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth got into a fistfight with Murderdolls drummer Ben "Ghoul" Graves at a party following the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London and was ejected from the club Sahara Nights. Winners at the awards ceremony, which was held at the Forum in Kentish Town, included Cradle of Filth's "Babylon AD" clip (Most Valid Reason for Wasting £100,000 ... The Award for Best Video), Murderdolls (Thank God It's Not Good Charlotte ... The Award for Best Newcomer), Amen (The Mosh and Go Award ... The Award for Mind-Blowing Live Act), Deftones (The Overpriced and Over Here Award ... For Best International Act), AFI (Music to Smack Your Best Mate to Award ... The Award for Best Album) and Audioslave's Tom Morello (The Flash Bastard Award ... The Award for Best Guitarist). The night's biggest honors went to Marilyn Manson (The Golden God ... The Award for Best Frontman) and Motörhead's Lemmy (The Spirit of Hammer Award ... For a Lifetime of Metal). ...

Metallica will be the focus of an upcoming car combat video game that will feature music, voiceovers and creative input from the band. The still-untitled game will be created by Vivendi Universal Games in collaboration with Segnana Inc. It's due in 2005. ... Singer Matt Barlow has left Iced Earth. He said he intends to study for a degree in criminal justice and then to pursue a career in law enforcement administration. ... Korn frontman Jonathan Davis won't just be singing about killers and mutants on this year's Ozzfest — he'll be bringing them out on the road. The tour will feature an exhibit of Davis' twisted art, rare artifacts, weapons and other memorabilia focusing on death and darkness. The exhibition, called "The End," will be housed in a mobile facility with almost 1,000 square feet of gallery space. Admission will be charged. ...

Former Judas Priest singer Rob Halford will film a show in Anaheim, California, on Sunday for release as a DVD. In an effort to make sure the house is full, tickets are being sold two-for-one to fans who provide the password "metal" at time of purchase via Ticketmaster. ... "Kings of the Road" Fu Manchu will release the double live album Go For It ... Live on July 22. The California quartet, with a decade of meaty, driving, stoner rock under their collective belt, recorded the disc in Stockholm, Sweden, and Los Angeles, two stops on their 2002 California Crossing world tour. ... New Jersey's God Forbid have just finished recording a rendition of the Guns N' Roses classic "Out Ta Get Me" with producer Chris Pearce. The track will join cuts from Dillinger Escape Plan, Unearth, Every Time I Die, Haste and Nora, among others, on a GN'R tribute album coming from Law of Inertia Records early this fall. ...

Type O Negative will begin a tour on July 25 in Worchester, Massachusetts, to support their new album, Life Is Killing Me, which drops June 17. Shows have been confirmed through August 9, but more dates will be announced soon. ... Static-X are working on their third album in Los Angeles with producer Josh Abraham. Drums on the album will be played by A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese, who filled in following the departure of Ken Jay earlier this year. Static-X begin a tour on July 3, with dates confirmed through August 2. ... Apparently Ozzfest isn't enough: Cradle of Filth will augment their summer schedule (which already includes a headlining slot on Ozzfest's second stage) with a headlining tour. The trek will run alongside Ozzfest and see the band playing shows on its days off. ...

Canadian female metal band Kittie will perform a benefit show in their hometown of London, Ontario, to help two sibling friends who have been battling cancer for several years. Proceeds will go to the family of Justin Wolfe from the band Acacia and Gregg Wolfe of Dam 13. ... Necrophagia will release an EP called Goblins Be Thine on Halloween. They also plan the release of a DVD titled "Nightmare Scenarios" on the same day. ... The Black Dahlia Murder will be hitting the road at the end of this month with the Red Chord, Premonitions of War and Dead Water. The highly anticipated two-week tour will start on June 20 and end on July 2. ... Swedish death metal stalwarts Grave are on tour with Immolation to support their album Back From the Grave. Opening the tour are Goatwhore and Crematorium. ...

—compiled by Iann Robinson, Jon Wiederhorn and Robert Mancini

• Motörhead
• Cradle of Filth
• Fu Manchu
• In Flames
• Rob Halford

Hey fellow metalists, what's up? How's it been with you this week? Iann Robinson here with a big helping of metal news for you to feast on, all of it very cool.

The big thing for me this week was the Lamb of God record, As the Palaces Burn. This is a bad-ass record that may just crush everything in its wake. LOG take the best aspects of thrash and death metal and combine them into a sonic fury that hits its zenith by creating killer riffs that are also killer hooks — not an easy job.

I also got to check out the new Katatonia album, Viva Emptiness, which is amazing. Building on the new sounds of their last offerings, Katatonia manage to blend prog-rock, metal and goth music perfectly. It's definitely one of the more sonically dense and experimental records I've heard in the world of metal.

My final thing is a bit of a gripe with the band 16. Now we all know 16 are amazing, we all know their take on ultra-violence hardcore is second to nobody, but they have a new album out in Japan called Zoloft Smile, and I've heard some of it. It's really good work, but YOU CAN'T GET IT IN THE STATES. Please 16, if you love us at all, work on getting it out in the U.S. I tried to get it off their Web site, but it jumps you to a site for the Japanese record label releasing the record, and the whole thing is in Japanese making it impossible to order. I beg you 16, unleash the carnage here, for us! Well, that's it, read on, dig the metal news and remember, if you find yourself giving the devil horns to a fellow frat brother during a "kegger," this ain't the page for you!

You won't see the King when the Jailhouse Rock Part 2 Tour kicks off in June, but you can catch hardcore heavyweights Hatebreed, Agnostic Front, Biohazard, Throwdown and relative newcomers Full Blown Chaos. The short East Coast trek will begin June 5th. ... Meanwhile, Hatebreed will hit the studio on April 26 to start recording their next album. ...

Sick of It All will be releasing a new album this summer titled Life on the Ropes. ... Entombed also return this summer. They will release Inferno on August 4. …

Make more room in the Ozzfest parking lot: The Datsuns have been added to the tour's main stage for five dates, while Revolution Smile and Marz have been added to the Ozzfest second stage. ...

The bands behind the Metal Gods 2003 Tour — Halford, Immortal, Primal Fear and Pain Museum — will hit the HMV Superstore in Toronto on Monday for an autograph session. ...

Day-glow greasepaint manufacturers rejoice: Twisted Sister are getting back together for a reunion tour of military bases. The band will hit one Air Force base and two Army bases in South Korea next month for the tour, presented by the USO. ...

When Candiria take the stage at New York's legendary CBGB's on May 5, it will mark the jazz-metal-hardcore band's first appearance since being sidelined by an auto accident nearly eight months ago. The newly reinvigorated band will be joined by Start The End, Locked in a Vacancy and Most Precious Blood. ... Chimaira also returned to the road this week after a minor bus accident that forced the band to cancel a show in Virginia. The band's bus hit a construction barricade outside of Pittsburgh on Monday, and no one was injured in the crash. The band's new album, The Impossibility of Reason, is due on May 13. …

After their stint opening for Motörhead and the Dwarves this month, High on Fire will gear up for a summer headlining tour. ... Speaking of the almighty Motörhead, the band has tapped New York's HavocHate to open its upcoming tour with Anthrax and Erase the Gray. The tour kicks off on May 7 in Norfolk, Virginia. … Elsewhere on the road, Kataklysm will join The Haunted and Shai Hulud on a full North American tour launching in May. …

Dysrhythmia are set to unveil their Relapse Records debut, Pretest, on May 13. The album was produced by noise master Steve Albini (Helmet, Nirvana, Killdozer, Pixies). ...

Poison the Well have decided to call their major-label debut You Come Before You. Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon, who handled the artwork for last year's Tear From the Red, will return to work on the forthcoming album, which is due in stores June 1. ... Meanwhile, Converge's "The Long Road Home" DVD will arrive in stores on May 20. ...

Stoner rock band Stonerwitch have broken up due to "irreconcilable differences". ... Madball return on June 20 when they team up with Most Precious Blood for a tour that runs through July 12. …

Black metal heroes Impaled Nazarene will start work on their eighth album, titled All That You Fear, on July 1. The album will mark the recording debut of new guitarist Tuomo Louhio. ...

Progressive metal masterminds King's X return to record stores on May 20 with Black Like Sunday. For the album, the band dug up 14 songs written in its earliest days (prior to adopting the name King's X) and recorded them recently for the first time. None of the songs have been recorded before.

—Compiled by Iann Robinson, Ryan Downey, Jon Wiederhorn and Robert Mancini

• The Datsuns
• Revolution Smile
• Sick of It All
• Lamb of God
• Halford

Rob Halford
Photo: MTV News

He hasn't hung up his heavy metal boots just yet, but former Judas Priest singer Rob Halford has been filmed selling smut behind the counter of a Santa Monica adult book store.

No, the self-proclaimed metal god wasn't dispensing naughty video booth tokens and stocking sex toy shelves to make ends meet, he was acting as a porno clerk in a scene for the upcoming Jonas Akerlund film "Spun," which stars Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy and Jason Schwartzman. And the experience was a textbook case of art imitating life.

"When I had my audition, Jonas said, 'As soon as I saw this bit about the porno clerk, I thought of you.' And I said, 'That's crazy, because before I joined Priest, I actually was a porno clerk.' When I told him, he practically fell off his chair."

It wasn't the only happy coincidence, as Halford learned from a conversation with Rourke.

"When we were shooting the scene on location in the porno shop, he actually told me that he worked at this same shop in his early acting career. I was like, 'Is this fate? Is this destiny?' "

While Akerlund has directed music videos for Madonna, U2 and Moby, "Spun" will mark his cinematic debut. The movie is a dark, fast-paced day-in-the-life of a crystal meth dealer named the Cook, who is played by Rourke.

Music for "Spun" was written by former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who scored much of the 1999 film "Stigmata."

The film was shot for several million dollars, Rourke's agency said. Producers are currently looking for an independent distributor, and there is no scheduled release date.

• Rob Halford

Method Man live at "MTV20: Live and Almost Legal"
Photo: MTV

NEW YORK — After two decades of rock, shock, hip-hop, teen pop and fashion disasters, the ghosts of MTV past, present and future visited the Hammerstein Ballroom Wednesday night to celebrate the cable channel's 20th birthday.

From original VJ Martha Quinn to "Total Request Live" heartthrob Carson Daly, from '80s provocateur Boy George to current sexpot Aaliyah, the faces and forces who have become synonymous with the network turned out to pay their respects. (Click for "Mariah Carey Had 'Breakdown,' Her Publicist Says"). Taking her place was another one of MTV's favorites over the last 20 years, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"Give it away, give it away, give it away now," Anthony Kiedis sang to close the last performance of the night.

But the singer was all wrong. The crowd was giving it up. No cake was served, but with free lobster, chicken and wine on the menu, who can be greedy. After all, it wasn't even a 21st birthday party.

• Limp Bizkit
• Method Man/Redman
• Jane's Addiction
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Kid Rock

After delivering his first "true metal" album in eight years and introducing it to fans while on the road with Iron Maiden, former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford is heading out on his own.

The man with the trademark metal wail has readied his own brief headlining tour and will hit the road with his band, Halford, on October 10. So far, Halford has lined up dates through late October, and the trek will serve as a bit of a preamble to the rocker's appearance at January's Rock In Rio festival (see "Deftones, Queens Of The Stone Age, Halford On For Rio").

The trek will be the frontman's latest in support of his recently released album, "Resurrection," which marks a return to the vintage Priest style that Halford had abandoned in favor of musical experimentation in recent years. The album, and Halford's recent opening slot on Iron Maiden's U.S. tour, displayed the singer's still-piercing vocals, but Halford notes that he has a rather simple approach to maintaining that voice.

Halford's trek with Maiden also found metal holding up quite well as well, as the bands played to sold out venues night after night. Once again, Halford keeps it simple in explaining the genre's enduring appeal.

Halford said.

If you're up for the aforementioned "great time," here's where to catch Halford:

• 10/10 - Hamel, MN @ Medina Entertainment Center
• 10/11 - Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
• 10/12 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Bar
• 10/14 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's Concert Theatre
• 10/15 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
• 10/17 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium
• 10/18 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
• 10/19 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
• 10/21 - Old Bridge, NJ @ Birch Hill Nite Club
• 10/22 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two

Next year's Rock In Rio festival just got a whole lot heavier with the addition of the Deftones, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Rob Halford to the lineup for the weeklong South American shindig.

Those acts now join a roster that includes previously announced performers Britney Spears, 'NSYNC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair, Foo Fighters, and R.E.M. (see "R.E.M., Foo Fighters Added To Rio Festival").

The festival will boast a decidedly Brazilian flair as well, with an army of South American acts including Fernanda Abreu, Pato Fu, Funk 'N Lata, and Daniela Mercury, who was also added to the bill on Tuesday, set to take part. In all, organizers are expecting some 98 acts to sign on for the festival, which kicks off on January 12.

While two previous Rock In Rio concerts have rolled out in years past, this time around AOL is backing the fete, which has expanded its title to the more charitable "Rock In Rio For A Better World." Proceeds from the 2001 event will benefit educational projects from Viva Rio, a preeminent social services organization in Rio De Janeiro helping 11,000 young people.

Concert organizers expect some 1.5 million people to head to Barra Da Tijuca (an area of Rio De Janeiro) for the event. Tickets are expected to go on sale in October.

• Deftones
• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Two

Old school metal came roaring back in a major way this week as Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, and former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford launched their joint tour on Tuesday in Toronto.

The metal triple bill is playing a handful of Canadian dates this week before hitting U.S. soil Saturday with a sold-out show at New York's famed Madison Square Garden.

Fans this weekend will get their first look at "Halford," the latest undertaking from the former Judas Priest frontman. Halford boasts that after his musical experimentation with Fight and Two, his new band's upcoming debut album, "Resurrection," will be his first "true metal" release in eight years (see "Rob Halford Returns To Metal Roots"), and he's looking forward trying out the new material on the road with Maiden.

Halford told MTV News of the tour. "Metal works in any environment, but particularly well from a large production. There's nothing more glorious than seeing a metal band in a big venue with a big stage -- lots of lights, lots of sound, lots of speakers, and the spectacle of a lot of people going mental for it. It's just amazing, and I'm grateful that I've got this opportunity to let it take off in this way."

The trek also gives Halford, possessor of one of metal's most infamous wails, the chance to test his mettle with two other notoriously leather-lunged frontmen: Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate.

"It's going to be an extraordinary moment, from a vocalist's point of view," Halford said.

"It's going to be a great trip around the country," he added.

To many, the Maiden/Queensrÿche/Halford bill smacks of nostalgia, but the trek finds Maiden currently enjoying the strongest radio support of its career, thanks to its recently released "Brave New World." With the album, Maiden managed to recapture its classic sound without sounding dated, an approach that Halford also employed (with similar results) on "Resurrection."

"We all carry elements from the past with us, in a good way," Halford explained. "I'm not talking about nostalgia or an old vibe or whatever. It's just about a built-in ability to continue with a sound that you're familiar with or comfortable with, but like anybody, you want to make new music. You want to keep it fresh."

Similarly, Halford is optimistic that he and his tourmates will be able to keep it fresh on the road while giving fans what they want. "When you see these bands and when you see these musicians, it's totally of this moment," Halford said. "You're not looking through the metal mist of eons past. That's not what it's about at all. It's a legacy. It's a heritage, and at the end of the day, it's just great music." [RealVideo]

If you want to check out Halford, Maiden, and Queensrÿche on the road, here's where to look:

• 8/5 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 8/6 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center For The Perf. Arts
• 8/8 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Theatre
• 8/9 - Portland, ME @ Cumberland Civic Ctr.
• 8/11 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion @Star Lake
• 8/12 - Camden, NJ @ Blockbuster - Sony E Center
• 8/13 - Scranton, PA @ Coors Light Amph. @ Montage Mountai
• 8/15 - Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
• 8/16 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Six Flags P.A.C.
• 8/17 - Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
• 8/19 - Maryland Heights, MO @ Riverport Amphitheatre
• 8/20 - Bonner Springs, KS @ Sandstone Amphitheatre
• 8/23 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
• 8/25 - Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion
• 8/26 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
• 8/27 - St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
• 8/29 - Colorado Springs, CO @ World Arena
• 8/30 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• 9/1 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Centre
• 9/2 - Spring, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
• 9/3 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunken Garden Amph.
• 9/4 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunken Garden Amph.
• 9/6 - El Paso, TX @ University Of Texas
• 9/8 - Albuquerque, NM @ Mesa Del Sol Amphitheatre
• 9/9 - Phoenix, AZ @ Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion
• 9/10 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• 9/12 - San Diego, CA @ San Diego Sports Arena
• 9/13 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
• 9/15 - Bakersfield, CA @ Centennial Garden
• 9/16 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
• 9/18 - Anchorage, AK @ Sullivan Sports Arena
• 9/20 - Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
• 9/21 - Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum

• Rob Halford
• Iron Maiden
• Judas Priest
• Two

After several years of musical experimentation, former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has returned to the brand of screeching rock that made him a metal icon, and soon he'll also return to sold-out arenas, thanks to a slot on Iron Maiden's upcoming U.S. tour.

"I'm back home in the great world of heavy metal, which is where I was born and raised and where I shall finish my days," Halford declared to MTV News this week.

After leaving Priest in 1992, Halford offered a stripped-down sound with Fight, and then tinkered with industrial influence with Two. However, when the aptly titled "Resurrection" arrives on August 8, fans will find Halford and his new band (fittingly dubbed "Halford") once again adopting the "Metal God" form he introduced during his days with Priest.

Halford said.

Halford's new classic sound will no doubt please the legions of fans caught up in the new wave of British metal that Judas Priest helped to usher in during the '70s and '80s. But despite the success Priest found (or perhaps because of it), Halford said he desperately needed to expand his musical horizons.

"I lived in the house of Priest for 20 years, and it was a blast," Halford explained.

Halford notes that through that musical exploration he found "a lot of peace and contentment in the last few years," but adds that his return to metal form is a welcome one. "['Resurrection' is] my first metal album since [Judas Priest's 1990] 'Painkiller' release," Halford said. "At least in what I consider to be the true tradition: the qualities, the atmosphere, the emotions of metal are all in 'Resurrection,' so this does feel like this would have been the next record for me after the 'Painkiller' experience. It's all about the voice. It's still all about the voice. I've got this God-given voice, and I love using it, and it's still as strong and powerful as it ever was, which amazes me." [RealVideo]

So far, the move back to metal seems to be paying off as many observers, including Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, are applauding Halford's latest effort. "He's just made this amazing record," Dickinson has said of Halford. "He is totally back with the whole Priest 'Screaming For Vengeance' thing. He's singing like a bird, albeit a tortured, twisted bird" (see "Iron Maiden Taps Halford, Queensryche For Tour").

Dickinson and Maiden have taken that faith in Halford's current direction even further, tapping him to join them and tourmates Queensryche for a North American tour that kicks off on August 1. Again, it's so far so good, as the tour is quickly selling out shows, including an August 5 concert at New York's Madison Square Garden that sold out in less than two hours.

If you want to catch Halford on the road with Maiden, here's where to look:

• 8/1 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
• 8/2 - Montreal, QB @ Molson Centre
• 8/3 - Quebec City, QB @ Colisee Arena
• 8/5 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 8/6 - Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center
• 8/8 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Music Center
• 8/11 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Starlake Amphitheatre
• 8/12 - Philadelphia, PA @ E-Center
• 8/13 - Scranton, PA @ Coors Light Amphitheatre
• 8/15 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Amphitheatre
• 8/16 - Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheatre

• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two

Rob Halford is not rejoining Judas Priest as rumored, says his current manager, but he has, at least to a minor extent, made an attempt to kiss and make up.

• Rob Halford
• Judas Priest
• Two