Judas Priest: A Visual Biography

In a space and time when most bands were coy about their heavy metal-ness, Birmingham bashers Judas Priest stood proud about their love for the genre and its fans, creating iconic anthems to the community like “Take on the World,” “Hell Bent for Leather,” “Living After Midnight,” “Metal Gods” and “United.”

But Rob Halford and Co. would deliver more ageless classics beyond these anthems, a short list including the likes of “Tyrant,” “Victim of Changes,” “Diamonds and Rust,” “Exciter,” “Breaking the Law,” “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,” “Electric Eye,” “Jawbreaker,” “Turbo Lover” and the manic thrash panic that is “Painkiller.”

Past 1990’s incendiary comeback album, the action-packed life of leather continued. We got the Ripper years, some firecracker side-projects from Rob in the form of Fight and Halford, a clamourous reunion with the Metal God, a double concept album and then late in life, lo and behold, an effusively received metal muncher of an album called Firepower. It’s all here, clad in black leather and gleaming studs a’ plenty from head to toe, Flying V’s at the ready and motorcycles revving, as now four times Judas Priest author Martin Popoff delivers a visual feast fit for a judicious headbang at the head of the whisky bar.

As has been the high standards for all of these Wymer visual celebrations, look for all manner of live shots and pictures of memorabilia, 45 sleeves, ticket stubs, record ads and backstage passes, paired with an obsessively detailed timeline of this beloved band’s 50+ years rocking at full force. Whether it’s Priest platters like Sad Wings of Destiny, Stained Class, Ram It Down or Redeemer of Souls that charge you up, or the myriad side pursuits of all involved, rest assured it’s all here, full colour, full throttle, “Freewheel Burning.”