Rob Halford — News — Cardiff Live

On his day, 30 March 2005, heavy metal band Judas Priest played Cardiff International Arena on their Angel Of Retribution tour. Also on the bill were German band Scorpions.

Formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band struggled with indifferent record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when their sixth studio album British Steel brought them notable mainstream attention.

The band's membership has seen much turnover. During the 1970s, the core of bassist Ian Hill, lead singer Rob Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing saw a revolving cast of drummers, before Dave Holland joined them for ten years from 1979 to 1989. Since Holland's departure, Scott Travis has been the band's drummer. Halford left the band in 1992, and after a four year hiatus, Judas Priest regrouped in 1996 with Tim "Ripper" Owens, formerly of Winter's Bane, replacing Halford. After two albums with Owens, Halford returned to the band in 2003.

A new studio album, Angel of Retribution, was released on 1 March 2005 (US) on Sony Music/Epic Records to critical and commercial success, earning the band a 2005 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best Album. A global tour in support of the album ensued.

Setlist

The Hellion

Electric Eye

Metal Gods

Riding on the Wind

The Ripper

A Touch of Evil

Judas Rising

Revolution

Hot Rockin'

Breaking the Law

I'm a Rocker

Diamonds & Rust

(Joan Baez cover) (Acoustic)

Deal With the Devil

Beyond the Realms of Death

Turbo Lover

Hellrider

Victim of Changes

The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)

(Fleetwood Mac cover)

Painkiller

Encore:

Hell Bent for Leather

Living After Midnight

You've Got Another Thing Comin'

On this day, 24 January 1978, heavy rock bands Judas Priest played Cardiff’s Top Rank, on their Stained Glass tour.

Stained Class is the fourth studio album by the band released on 10 February 1978 by Columbia Records.

It is the first of three Judas Priest albums to feature drummer Les Binks, as well as the first to feature the band's now well-known logo.

The album features "Exciter", considered an early precursor to speed metal and thrash metal, as well as a cover version of "Better by You, Better than Me" by Spooky Tooth, which garnered the band a great deal of negative attention several years after its release when a pair of fans were allegedly influenced by the song to make a suicide pact.

Nonetheless, Stained Class is regarded by some as one of Judas Priest's best albums.

Formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million copies of their albums, and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time.

Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band had struggled with indifferent record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when they rose to commercial success with the album British Steel.