www.gwinnettdailypost.com

By: Katie Morris

Published: October 22, 2014

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Heavy metal band Judas Priest has been making music for over 40 years, becoming pioneers in the genre and earning lead singer, Rob Halford, the nickname “The Metal God.” Next Tuesday night, fans will be able to see a culmination of the band’s long running career at their “Redeemer of Souls Tour” at the Gwinnett Arena.

#Judas Priest was formed in the early ’70s and gained popularity throughout the ’80s releasing all-time classic albums such as “British Steel,” “Point of Entry,” “Screaming for Vengeance” and “Defenders of the Faith.” The albums generated a number of enduring metal anthems including “Breaking the Law,” “Living After Midnight,” “Heading Out to the Highway” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.”

#There has been some turnover in the band’s membership throughout the years — current members include lead singer Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton, guitarist Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis.

#This tour is in support of the band’s 17th studio album “Redeemer of Souls,” released in July. Their previous album, “Nostradamus,” is a dual disc concept album about the 16th-century French writer. It was released in 2008 and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200.

#Hill said their new album reaches back to their earlier sound and incorporates that into the new tracks.

#“Our previous album, ‘Nostradamus,’ was a concept album. This one is really a follow-up to ‘Angel of Retribution.’ On the Epitaph Tour, we tried to fit a song in from each album and delve all the way back to 1974, and I’m sure some of that stuck and it was still there,” Hill said. “There are tracks that hint at what we did previously. We tried to fit in all the components from lighter, quieter to heavier with a commercial song or two. We had 22 songs, which was too many to put on a single album, which is why we ended up with the mini disc. It wasn’t because they were inferior tracks, but because it didn’t all fit on one album. It was too good to discard and we didn’t want it to be forgotten, so that’s why there’s a deluxe version of the album and a mini disc.”

#Hill said Atlanta audiences can expect a classic Judas Priest concert on Tuesday with a good mixture of old and new material.

#“The set list is a mixture of old and new, as always. It’s always a bit of a nightmare putting together a set list and choosing from over 200 songs because, no matter what, you end up leaving someone’s favorite out. We have 4 new songs to play, a few old ones we haven’t played in a while and some favorites — this will be a typical Priest show with lots of entertainment,” Hill said. “We’re looking forward to playing there. It’s a great show and I know we can’t wait to come play. We’ve been very lucky because people have followed us through thick and thin and without them, we wouldn’t be there, so we owe them a debt of gratitude.”

#Judas Priest will be at The Arena at Gwinnett Center on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36 to $56 and available at gwinnettCenter.com, The Arena at Gwinnett Center Box Office or by calling 888-9-AXS-TIX.