Judas Priest announce colossal 42 CD '50 Heavy Metal Years of Music' box set
Featuring 13 discs of unreleased music
Last updated 15th Jul 2021
After teasing 'something amazing’ yesterday, Judas Priest have now announced they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary with a gargantuan limited-edition box set called ‘50 Heavy Metal Years of Music.’
Released on Friday 15th October 2021 via Sony Music, the expansive collection boasts all 18 of Judas Priest’s studio albums to date, all the band’s live albums and 13 discs of unreleased music.
The veritable smorgasbord of heavy metal music contained within ‘50 Heavy Metal Years of Music’ was restored and mixed by Tom Allom at La Cucina W8 and mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios.
Judas Priest singer Rob Halford said: “Judas Priest's curated box set representing 50 heavy metal years is the ultimate treasure trove defining the band's unwavering commitment to keeping and defending the heavy metal faith.”
Guitarist Glenn Tipton adds: “If there's one box set you should have in your Heavy Metal collection it should be this one - it's immortal - proclaiming and truly representing Metal for over 50 years - Flying the Flag and proudly leading the way inspiring many bands throughout the years----this 42 CD selection says it all------it's a big part of Metal history and as such will live forever.....”
Bassist and founding member Ian Hill succinctly comments: “AMAZING - 50 years of metal crammed into a small box.....!!”
The ‘50 Heavy Metal Years of Music’ box set has been designed by longtime Judas Priest collaborator Mark Wilkinson (Marillion, Iron Maiden) and each CD will be housed in mini LP Japanese-style wallets.
The box set also boasts Ross Halfin photos signed by each band member - Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, Richie Faulkner and Scott Travis – plus there are memorabilia posters from the British Steel 1980 German Tour and Defenders Of The Faith 1984 European Tour.
Completing the box set is a numbered British Steel metal razor blade (blunt), a replica British Steel tour programme, and a memorabilia book featuring rare photos, posters, adverts and passes.
Costing £345, the ‘50 Heavy Metal Years of Music’ box set is available to pre-order from Judas Priest’s official website now.
For those without deep pockets, a Reflections Edition of the box set will also be available to purchase in CD (£11) and 2LP formats (£25).
Judas Priest headline Bloodstock Festival on Sunday 15th August 2021. Tickets are on sale from Planet Rock Tickets now.
Judas Priest's '50 Heavy Metal Years of Music' track-listing:
CD1 – Rocka Rolla
CD2 – Sad Wings of Destiny
CD3 – Sin After Sin (1977)
CD4 – Stained Glass (1978)
CD5 – Killing Machine – (1978)
CD6 – Unleashed In the East (Live in Japan 1979)
CD7 – British Steel
CD8 – Point Of Entry
CD9 – Screaming for Vengeance
CD10 – Defenders of the Faith
CD11 – Turbo
CD12 & CD13 – Priest… Live!
CD14 – Ram It Down
CD15 – Painkiller
CD16 – Jugulator
CD17 & CD18 – ’98 Live Meltdown
CD19 – Demolition
CD20 & CD21 – Live in London
CD22 - Angel of Retribution
CD23 – Nostradamus (Act 1) & CD24 – Nostradamus (Act 2)
CD25 – A Touch Of Evil Live
CD26 & CD27 – Redeemer of Souls
CD29 – Firepower
5 previously unreleased live stereo recordings from the archives
Restored and edited by Tom Allom at La Cucina W8
Mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios, London
CD30 & CD31 – Live In Atlanta ’82 (Previously Unreleased)
CD30
The Hellion / Electric Eye
Riding on the Wind
Heading Out to the Highway
Metal Gods
Bloodstone
Breaking the Law
Sinner
Desert Plains
The Ripper
Diamonds and Rust
CD31
Devils Child
Screaming for Vengeance
You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
Victim of Changes
Living After Midnight
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)
Hell Bent For Leather
CD32 - Live At The Mudd Club ’79
Hell Bent For Leather
Delivering The Goods
Running Wild
Beyond The Realms Of Death
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)
Victim Of Changes
Rock Forever
Starbreaker
CD33 & CD34 - Live In Houston ’86
CD33
Out In The Cold
Locked In
Heading Out To The Highway
Metal Gods
Breaking The Law
Love Bites
Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
The Sentinel
Private Property
Desert Plains
Rock You All Around The World
CD34
The Hellion/ Electric Eye
Turbo Lover
Freewheel Burning
Victim Of Changes
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)
Living After Midnight
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
Hell Bent For Leather
CD35 & CD36 - Live In New Haven ’88
CD35
The Hellion/ Electric Eye
Metal Gods
Sinner
Breaking The Law
Come And Get It
I’m a Rocker
The Sentinel
The Ripper
Beyond The Realms Of Death
Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
CD36
Turbo Lover
Ram It Down
Heavy Metal
Victim Of Changes
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)
Living After Midnight
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
Hell Bent For Leather
CD37 - Los Angeles '90 (Previously Unreleased)
Riding on the Wind
Grinder
Heading Out to the Highway
Between the Hammer & the Anvil
Bloodstone
Better by You, Better Than Me
Leather Rebel
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)
Hell Bent for Leather
You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
CD38 - London '81(Previously Unreleased)
Solar Angels Intro / Heading Out to the Highway
Metal Gods
Hell Bent for Leather
Breaking the Law
Sinner
Beyond the Realms of Death
Grinder
Desert Plains
You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise
Victim of Changes
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)
CD39 - Denver '80 (Previously Unreleased)
Hell Bent for Leather
The Ripper
Running Wild
Living After Midnight
Sinner
Beyond the Realms of Death
You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise
Grinder
Victim of Changes
Steeler
Genocide
Tyrant
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)
CD40 - Irvine '91 (Previously Unreleased)
Hell Bent for Leather
Heading Out to the Highway
The Hellion / Electric Eye
Diamonds and Rust
All Guns Blazing
Metal Gods
Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
The Ripper
Night Crawler
Turbo Lover
A Touch of Evil
Painkiller
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)
Breaking the Law
Living After Midnight
You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
CD41 & CD42 - Beyond Live & Rare
Previously unreleased stereo recordings from the archives
CD41
Epitaph (Studio Demo) Demo from 1976’s Sad Wings Of Destiny
Solar Angels (Live) July 22, 1981 - New York, NY - The Palladium
Sinner (Live) July 22, 1981 - New York, NY - The Palladium
Desert Plains (Live) July 22, 1981 - New York, NY - The Palladium
You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise (Live) July 22, 1981 - New York, NY - The Palladium
Genocide (Live) May 09, 1978 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
Victim Of Changes (Live) May 09, 1978 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
Ripper (Live) May 09, 1978 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
Screaming For Vengeance (Live) November 24, 1982 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Convention Center
The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) (Live) June 07, 1981 - Odessa, TX - Ector County Coliseum
Victim of Changes (Live) June 07, 1981 - Odessa, TX - Ector County Coliseum
CD42
Tyrant (Live) June 07, 1981 - Odessa, TX - Ector County Coliseum
Diamonds and Rust (Live) February 14, 1981 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Jaap Edenhal
White Heat Red Hot (Live) July 29, 1978 - Tokyo, Japan - Yuubin Chokin Hall
Better By You Better Than Me (Live) July 29, 1978 - Tokyo, Japan - Yuubin Chokin Hall
Starbreaker (Live) July 29, 1978 - Tokyo, Japan - Yuubin Chokin Hall
Rock Forever (Live) Killing Machine Tour - February 09, 1979 - Tokyo, Japan - Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan
Evil Fantasies (Live) Killing Machine Tour - February 09, 1979 - Tokyo, Japan - Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan
Troubleshooter (Live) World Wide Blitz Tour - February 29, 1981 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Rhein-Main-Halle
Grinder (Live) World Wide Blitz Tour - February 29, 1981 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Rhein-Main-Halle
The Sentinel (Live) May 02, 1984 - Albuquerque, NM - Tingley Coliseum
Freewheel Burning (Live) May 02, 1984 - Albuquerque, NM - Tingley Coliseum
All Guns Blazing (Live) August 17, 1991 - Montreal, QC, Canada - Forum de Montreal
Painkiller (Live) March 26, 1991 - Sheffield, England - Sheffield City Hall
Mother Sun (Live) October 11, 1975 - Slough, England - Slough College
Rock and metal bands named after songs by other bands, including Judas Priest:
Judas Priest
British heavy metal legends Judas Priest took inspiration for their brilliant name from the Bob Dylan song 'The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest' from his 1967 album 'John Wesley Harding.' The moniker was the idea of early Judas Priest bassist Brian 'Bruno' Stapenhill who exited the band in 1970 before they had laid down any recordings.
Deep Purple
Initially called Roundabout, the rock legends initially toyed with band names including Orpheus, Concrete God and Sugarlump but eventually settled on Deep Purple; taken from the 1933 Peter DeRose piano composition. The song was a huge favourite of Ritchie Blackmore's grandmother and she would often perform it on piano throughout Ritchie's childhood.
Mr Big
In 1988, Eric Martin, Billy Sheehan, Paul Gilbert and the late-great Pat Torpey named their new band after the Free song 'Mr. Big', which appeared on their breakthrough 1970 album 'Fire and Water'. Mr. Big later covered 'Mr. Big' on their third studio album 'Bump Ahead' in 1993.
Motörhead
After being dismissed from Hawkwind in 1975 following an arrest for drug possession in Canada, Lemmy started his own self-professed "fast and vicious" band and took the name Motörhead from the final song he had penned for Hawkwind just a few months earlier, 'Motorhead'. Two years later, Motörhead re-recorded 'Motorhead' as the opening track on their eponymous debut album.
Poison
Originally called Paris upon their formation in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in 1983, singer Bret Michaels, guitarist Matt Smith, bassist Bobby Dall and drummer Rikki Rockett wisely ditched their tame sounding band name in favour of 'Poison'; a nod to the 1981 track 'Poison' by glam metallers 'Sinner'.
Nazareth
The Scottish hard rock veterans were called the Shadettes upon their formation in the late 1960s but were unhappy with what they perceived to be a 'lightweight' name. They decided to hit a boozer to discuss a new name when 'The Weight' by The Band started playing through the bar's soundsystem. Upon hearing the opening line "I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead", bassist Pete Agnew suggested 'Nazareth' and the band agreed. The rest, they say, is history.
Volbeat
Danish rockers Volbeat took their name from the 1997 studio album 'Vol.Beat' by singer Michael Poulsen's previous band, the death metal act Dominus.
The Rolling Stones
Founder and original band leader Brian Jones gave The Rolling Stones their moniker after the 1950 Muddy Waters track 'Rollin' Stone'. The fledgling group played their first show as The Rolling Stones on 12th July 1962, at the famous Marquee Club in London.
Sepultura
The idea of former guitarist, singer and co-founding band member Max Cavalera, the Brazilian metallers called themselves Sepultura, which is the Portuguese word for "grave". Max took inspiration from one of his favourite songs, Motörhead's 'Dancing On Your Grave.'
Radiohead
Founded in Oxford in mid-1980s, Radiohead were originally called On A Friday in reference to their music rehearsal day at Abingdon School. When they signed a six-album deal with EMI in 1991, the imprint implored them to change their name and they ultimately took their band name from the song 'Radio Head' from Talking Heads' 1986 album 'True Stories'.
Bad Brains
Washington DC punks Bad Brains named themselves after the Ramones track 'Bad Brain', which appears on their 1978 album 'Road To Ruin'.
Lady Gaga
Stefani Germanotta's stage name is derived from the Queen classic 'Radio Ga Ga'. Producer Rob Fusari claims to have been the person who coined 'Lady Gaga' in the mid-noughties when they worked together.
At The Drive-In
Influential post-hardcore noisemakers At The Drive-In got their moniker from a line in Poison's 1987 single 'Talk Dirty To Me' – "Cause baby we'll be / At the drive-in / In the old man's ford / Behind the bushes / Till I'm screamin' for more." The name was guitartist Jim Ward's suggestion shortly after the band former in 1993.
Seether
Formed in South Africa in 1999 as Saron Gas, the band ditched the name as their US label Wind-up Records noted its similarity to the toxic synthetic organophosphorus compound, sarin gas. Ultimately they settled on Seether after the 1994 Veruca Salt single 'Seether'.
The Sisters of Mercy
When they formed 40 years ago in Leeds, the gothic rockers took their name from the Leonard Cohen track 'Sisters of Mercy' from his seminal 1967 album 'Songs of Leonard Cohen.' The Sisters of Mercy took inspiration from Robert Altman's 1971 movie McCabe & Mrs Miller thats' soundtracked by three Leonard Cohen songs.
Stiff Little Fingers
Previously called Highway Star and The Fast, the Belfast punks eventually decided to call themselves Stiff Little Fingers after the 1977 Vibrators song of the same name.
Overkill
Wisely abandoning the prospective band name Virgin Killer (a nod to the Scorpions), New Jersey thrash metallers Overkill ultimately honoured their other musical heroes Motörhead by naming themselves after the trio's 1979 album 'Overkill' and the single of the same name.
Panic! at the Disco
Although many people erroneously think that Panic! at the Disco are named after The Smiths' song 'Panic' and its chorus of "burn down the disco", former band leader Brendon Urie has said in multiple interviews that they take their name from a track also called 'Panic' by Californian emo band Name Taken. The song's lyrics read: "Panic at the disco/Sat back and took it so slow/Are you nervous?/Are you shaking?".