Unleashed

Glenn tipton looks back at 50 years of Triumph and Tragedy in Judas Priest

- By Jon Wiederhorn

Like his bandmates, Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton is getting ready for another victory lap to celebrate 50-plus years of the group’s eclectic, groundbreaking metal. Priest plan to resume their 50th Anniversary tour on March 4 in Peoria, Illinois, and dates are scheduled through June 14 in the band’s hometown of Birmingham, England, barring any more unexpected setbacks.

To coincide with the tour, Judas Priest released the mammoth 42-disc box set, 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music, which includes every album from their catalog as well as 13 previously unreleased discs of live material spanning from 1979 to 1991. Also available is the 16-track single-disc taster, Reflections: 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music, a best-of that features nine album tracks and six live cuts from the box. 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music was entirely remastered by Tom Allom, who first worked with Judas Priest on the 1979 concert album Unleashed in the East, and who produced most of their best-selling records, including British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance.

“To have a box set that is so all-encompassing and covers all our time with Judas Priest is amazing,” says Tipton from his estate in England. “Fifty years is a long time. You never think you’ll go on this long. I never thought I’d still be around now, let alone writing songs and performing a bit.”