Rob Halford: Walsall's Metal God on life, Judas Priest, homophobia - and being proud to be a Yam Yam

With 19 studio albums and countless awards behind them, Judas Priest are one of the seminal metal acts of all time, but have not rested on their laurels and traded on past glories and are, instead, getting ready to tour the world again after releasing their latest album "Invincible Shield".

This latest tour includes a night in Birmingham, on March 19 at the Resorts World Arena NEC, and has brought Rob Halford and his bandmates home for rehearsals ahead of the 28 shows that will take the band across the UK, Europe and the USA.

Even now, more than 50 years after the release of Judas Priest's debut album Rocka Rolla, Rob Halford is able to sit in his house in Walsall, which he splits time in alongside his home in Arizona, and say that he has enjoyed great fortune over his life and career and is always thankful for the continued love and support of the fans.

He said: "I think it's the same elements for anybody that's had the great fortune and luck and destiny and fate, whatever you call it in rock and roll.

"The heart of it is your music, the substance of your longevity is the quality of your music that you make, coupled with your fans - because you're nothing without your fans and we've just had this incredible hardcore following of fans all over the place that has kept us going so strongly.

"The relevance of Priest right now is as strong as it ever was as everybody around the world wants to see Judas Priest, and that's really remarkable half a century later and if you think about it too much, your head would go up in smoke.

"I just love it for all the simple true elements of maintaining this fantastic band called Judas Priest, all the compassion, passion, dedication and conviction which have gone into who we are and what we do and which are probably stronger today than they ever were before."

Rob said that the fact that the band were getting ready to do another world tour was still a thing he said could have been for someone else, but was a story he found remarkable.

He also said that the fact the band was still recording new material was important to the survival of the band as it honoured the fans' commitment and love and allowed the two to experience something new together.

He said: "19 studio albums later and the fact that all of your fans demand to be acknowledged in a way that is vitally important and after playing Breaking The Law, Living After Midnight or You've Got Another Thing Coming, do you need to make new music, experience new sounds and a new adventure?

"Well, yes, because that's what we've done for 50 years and whenever we make a record, the next opportunity is to go on tour and that's our routine of making a record and going on tour.

"It's part of what makes this band special."

Another essential makeup of the band and the music for Rob has been coming from the West Midlands, which he said had a great power to it.

He also spoke about an interview he'd read with Selecter singer Pauline Black, where she had spoken about her love of being able to combine the hits with new material, something Rob said he agreed with.

He said: "There's lots of great music from the West Midlands and the power of it is just immense in all formats and all styles and, worldwide, it's acknowledged and respected.

"Pauline's right because, as a musician, it's wonderful to be able to go out and play those songs that have given you the life and longevity of your band through the way your fans have become so close to you.

"However, at the same token, you've really got to have a reason and a purpose behind that, which is what you can do next and what can you say that you haven't said before, so the drive is always there.

"It's no different to Walsall or Wolves taking to the pitch as the game is the same, but the plays and the moves that you make are all different and you're trying to give your team and your fans a new experience, which is all part of the fabric of Judas Priest."

Rob said the new album was a way of reinforcing everything the band loved about being in Judas Priest and carrying a metal message that was so important to them as a band and as part of the metal community with the fans.

He said: "There's just such a great strength and power that comes from the identification that we have with each other and all that goes into this album.

"What is an Invincible Shield? I think it's within all of us, especially with what you're dealing with in life as it is today, and everybody has the power of an Invincible Shield within them.

"For the band, it's what it has been for us as we've had this shield for five decades and we're really reinforcing all of these great elements within the metal world to give our fans and ourselves something very different and special to celebrate."

That shield has been something that Rob and the other band members have been able to go back to over the years and while Rob has gone off and made solo records, he said it's always been great to come back to Judas Priest.

The band have been a featured part of the metal scene since the early 70s, but have also enjoyed mainstream success and appearances, such as being on the bill of Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985 and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Rob said it still blew his mind to think that a lad from the Beechdale estate in Walsall could have had the experiences he'd had and said he was eternally grateful for everything and always remembered his roots.

He said: "I do look back and can't believe I've done a lot of what I've done and I am eternally grateful for my roots, being a Yam Yam, and never forget that.

"There's none of this 'oh, you've sold 50 million albums' or 'oh, you've done a show in front of 300,000 people' as that doesn't go into my head - as I'm a Yam Yam and my job is to go out on that stage and do the best I can.

"We're representing British heavy metal, our nation, the Black Country and the West Midlands and all those things are very near and dear to me as a person.

"A lot of the great metal bands from this area have done their work and finished, whereas we're still here and I always push the fact that we are from the Black Country and it's a very important part of the world of rock and roll and we're still here and doing it loud and proud."

That grounding as a Walsall lad has helped Rob over the years, as does the fact that Rob said he can return home and enjoy being himself, as well as enjoying his battered sausage and chips from the Ablewell Fish Bar.

One of the biggest changes in Rob's life was when he came out publicly as gay in 1998 while being interviewed on MTV. He has spoken about the level of acceptance of his sexuality within the metal community, calling it accepting and inclusive.

He said there were still a lot of challenges with being gay within certain parts of the world and spoke of his own disappointment that there was still the level of homophobia there was across the UK.

He said: "There's only one gay Metal God in the world and it's me, so I'm aware that I carry that with me and I think my sexuality and identity and who I represent in the LGBTQ+ world is very important.

"I love my country and the advances that we've made compared to some of the places in the world where people like me get treated really badly, like in Russia when I've been told not to speak out about the gay world or I'll get thrown in prison, but the fact I can just walk out on stage and be there speaks volumes, so you don't have to say anything.

"I'm one of the first guys in metal at this level that's been able to speak out and be recognised and accepted, as we should all be, and I think it's horrible that it's 2024 and, when I was a younger person and coming to understand my identity, I thought that by now, there would be complete acceptance and as it should be in life, everyone's entitled to live the life they choose to live.

"There shouldn't be the rules enforced on them that 'you can't wear those clothes, or look that way, or listen to that type of music' and I thought that would have vanished by now - but it hasn't and the UK still harbours homophobia and while it's nowhere near as big as it was when I was a kid, you still get it.

"The fight for acceptance and understanding is a never-ending battle to a great extent, but I do love my country for the work we have done and we have progressed and moved forward, but we've still got a long way to go, that's for sure."

For Rob, the music is still the thing that drives him on and is a journey he said he never wants to stop, with one target being to complete that 20th studio album for a round number.

He said: "I still love it and I know I never want it to end and here I am, 73 this year, and it's just remarkable and I've never lost sight of that fact.

"When I'm with my sister Sue, we find that when we change the channel on the remote, it never comes up on an even number, but always stops at 19, so I don't like stopping on that number and want to get to 20.

"The passion and the desire and the relevance to get to 20 are still stronger than ever and is strong as it was getting to number 19 with Invincible Shield.

"As for the shows, if you want a truly great night out that's an event, then that's what you'll get when you come to a Judas Priest show. We are from the roots of this region and it's just special and spectacular to be able to put on this show and bring the true beginnings of the heavy metal sound to life."

Invincible Shield is available to buy from all retailers in CD and download.