Judas Priest formed in Birmingham, England in 1970 when hard rock was in its infancy. As the group played on and on, honing its sound, it was able to champion a distinct metal sound that fused gothic doom with guitar riffs played at a vicious speed. A necessary predecesor to the speed and death metal of the '80s, Judas Priest came to be know as the "Gods of Metal." Though lead singer Rob Halford left the band for a period of time, he returned and now the band is once again a harrowing metal powerhouse.
