Rob Halford: "You only really feel alive when you're out on the road"

Judas Priest's Rob Halford
(Image credit: Martin Philbey/Redferns)

Metal God Rob Halford says touring with Judas Priest makes him feel alive and adds that he isn't planning on calling it quits any time soon.

The 71-year-old will next week wrap up Priest's 50 Heavy Metal Years US Tour and shift his attention to recording his vocals for the band's upcoming 19th album.

On how he feels while on the road for long stretches, Halford tells the Corpus Christi Caller Times: "Touring becomes such an important part of your life and who you are. You only really feel alive, in the truest sense, when you're out on the road with the band and your crew and you're constantly roaming around the world like a machine."

While he shows no signs of slowing down, Halford admits he may have to start thinking about tapping the brakes a little.

He adds: "It's been a pretty tough tour this time around with the amount of shows we've played. We're grateful for every one, though. I don't think I'll make it that tough next time because my old bones can't take it as much as it used to."

The new album has a tough act to follow, as 2018's Firepower was a well-received hit for the band. Halford says it was that reception that made it a no-brainer to get to work on a follow-up.

He says: "Firepower was so well-received and critically acclaimed. It was kind of like, 'Is that it? Should we leave it there? Should we leave the party now?' But that record, along with the reception from our friends and in the industry, gave us even more energy and more determination to make another Priest album. And make one that's a strong piece of work to come after Firepower."

Priest were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year and welcomed back K.K. Downing for their live performance at the awards ceremony.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.