Okay. this is written from the point of view of a fan of the Old Order (I am 62). WE put HEAVY METAL on the map, originally. We are the ones, as Lemmy said. We, the lower middle class Celtic-descended males of the factories, and of the poor prospects in life, stateside; the colonies; those of us "across the sea" who are mentioned in the song MONSTERS OF ROCK.
The New World Celtic brothers of these Brummies.
1. We knew Rob was gay in 1981. We let it pass, then; we WISH that we could quit hearing about it, now.
2. We remember when Heavy Metal was a dangerous association; when even HAVING those albums could get you ostracized. Or fired. Or investigated. The days of the second record crate in the very back of your closet, stored with that stack of suspiciously adolescent pictorial periodicals (which they now sell on Amazon!) purchased from the local gas station at 2 AM on your way home from a night out. When Heavy Metal was not even a 'thing' yet; it was merely those IMPORT albums in that one splintered crate at the very back of the store.
We remember.
In this book, it's sort of hard to decide whether Rob Halford is a confused, mixed up adolescent who just thinks that he is a homosexual, and only dates other bi-curious latent heterosexuals like himself (!)... or whether or not he's just a scumbag. I used to work in the state prison, and I have indeed heard many of these petty larceny stories firsthand.
But, as with his bizarre sexuality, I do not go to him for morality; I go to him for heavy metal.
We all do.
He has been given a rare and a dynamic gift; we would like to enjoy that with him.
This much was known before I started this book.
In fact, if I may be truthful, I had not expected much more than that when I bought this book; my interest lay in two specific topics; how the band came to invent Heavy Metal, and what exactly happened with KK.
For those of you who think that Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath invented heavy metal, that is indeed a thought, right up until you realize that neither Led Zeppelin nor Black Sabbath ever actually did any TRUE heavy metal.
Paranoid, or Sturm und Drang heavy plodding rock under Ronnie James Dio, and maybe Black Dog is as close as either band ever came to Delivering the Goods, Grinder, Metal Gods, Hell Bent for Leather, The Rage, Steeler, or Rapid Fire; real actual "V-8 engine/ clanking chains" HEAVY METAL.
You see, even Judas Priest does not always do heavy metal; they were just the only ones who ever DID any true HEAVY METAL, at all.
Few bands and few albums NOW are strictly heavy-metal; which generally consists of nine songs and a metal ballad.
A good example of this is the Canadian band EXCITER, named for the song off Stained Class, and their album HEAVY METAL MANIAC; that is a completely true heavy metal album.
I don't think that Judas Priest has ever done one of those, even though Judas Priest - to my mind - actually invented the true genre of actual Heavy Metal.
Perhaps to his credit, Rob does not dwell upon the invention of heavy-metal very closely; he sort of dances around the idea, and like with KK, and the invention of the black leather outfits... this seems to be more important than who actually invented HEAVY METAL, as an art form.
So Rob is not a lot of help there, if that's what you're looking for.
And, as for the KK incident, he also prevaricates here as well.
What Rob Halford DOES give us in this book is a glance at the 'overall creation' of each of their records. He does, to his credit, take a chronological approach to the story telling, and we know along a time line what happened to whom, and where.
We also get a nice mindset as to what they - as a band - were thinking at the time.
One of the more disappointing moments is how Rob decides to go back to Priest, and his unbounded, unbridled joy at them taking him back.
Here is a guy who just walked off without any explanation, and didn't speak to anyone for 10 years... being invited back to the group.
Contrast that to KK, who apparently made his issues known before leaving, and this has apparently so destroyed everything that he can never come back.
In my way of looking at it, I think what Rob did was far worse, and as such, KK should have an invitation back into the band.
In addition to the fact that KK actually hired both Rob and Glenn originally, and that the three of them as the triumvirate have made every A-list song they ever created..
And to my way of thinking, three albums in without KK, they have yet to come up with a single A-list song...
I believe it will take all three of them, but neither Judas Priest nor KK's Priest seems to realize the fact that their music - from either band - is suffering horribly for lack of these A-list offerings; songs such as Victim of Changes, the Sinner, Grinder, Metal Gods, The Rage, Steeler, Rapid Fire, Touch of Evil, Prophecy, Nostradamus (the song), Painkiller, Judas is Rising, or Hell Bent for Leather...
And Rob, in his book, just seems to take it all in stride.
In that true Black Country Walsall dysfunctional way, Rob is just "not bothered' by any of this.
I am giving him five stars, because he gave us exactly what he promised; an autobiography.
I don't think it's a five-star book for its subject matter, but because it's exactly what Rob said it was; a look into his life.
And in that, he does not disappoint.
The book is worth a listen, as I got it on audio; Rob has a very satisfying voice for narration. And his story is interesting enough to keep you listening to it, but I don't know that I would ever want to read it again.
Now that I know.
He just proves to me - at long last - that it was his product, and not himself, that he was selling us.
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Reviews with images
Rob Halford Vocal God and the Confession Book!
Like many of us who pre ordered the book three months in advance . I was excited to be pre ordering the book for two special people who are fans of Rob Halford and of Judas Priest. Sadly like many of us were NOT signed! A Huge disappointment, but they will still be excited to read this book. Looks like an easy and fun read. Sending the books out soon! Can’t wait for them to start reading the book Horn up!
Top reviews from other countries
Hell
Excelente libro, envoltura puede mejorar
Reviewed in Mexico on February 7, 2021
Hell
Reviewed in Mexico on February 7, 2021
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