Halford on Cynic: 'I'm the only gay in the village!'

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford jokes that he reacted like Little Britain character Daffyd Thomas when he heard that two members of Cynic had confirmed they were gay.

The Metal God came out in 1998 and believes it all helps in the “chipping away” of homophobia in the music world.

Meanwhile, Priest having finally confirmed plans to tour in support of upcoming album Redeemer Of Souls.

Halford tells Terrorizer: “I told someone, ‘Have you read about this, these guys in Cynic?’ He said, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ I said, ‘I am the only gay in the village! I ain’t having this!’”

But he continues: “What a fucking great thing to do. There’s homophobia in metal. There’s homophobia all kinds of music; but for the most part metalheads accept each other – we know we’re given a lot of stick.

“It’s shit that you have to worry about this in 2014, isn’t it? It’s rubbish. But God bless them; I know what it’s like to come out of the closet. It’s the best feeling in the world.

“Be true to yourself, live your life, don’t hide. Nothing’s going to hurt you. You can only hurt yourself. The real people that love you will love you regardless.”

Redeemer Of Souls is released on July 14 in the UK. Priest have previously stated that plans to retire from touring in 2012 had been rethought as a result of guitarist Richie Faulkner’s addition to the lineup.

Now they’ve confirmed they’ll hit the road across the US with support from Steel Panther. Their shows run from October 1 in New York to November 18 in Salt Lake City.

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.