Judas Priest’s Ian Hill On The Band’s Tour With Queensryche, Working With Stock Aitken Waterman, Future Plans & More

One of heavy metal’s all-time greats, Judas Priest originally formed in 1970 in Birmingham, England — where many feel heavy metal was birthed — and the original nucleus of Judas Priest musicians would go on to change the face of heavy metal. It was during the 1980s that Priest conquered the music world, becoming a global arena headliner on the strength of such all-time classics as 1980’s British Steel and 1982’s Screaming For Vengeance. Priest was ultimately one of the first metal bands to be embraced by the then-burgeoning MTV, and arguably the first of its kind to exclusively wear leather and studs. Priest’s success continued throughout the 1990s and beyond with the addition of drummer Scott Travis, and its 2009 release A Touch Of Evil: Live would lead Priest to win a Grammy Award.

Judas Priest is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year — following COVID-19-related postponements — with the launch of a new North American fall tour. The 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour will also feature Queensryche as openers and is being fueled by the highest-charting album of Priest’s career, Firepower, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200. Tour and related celebration aside, 2022 has the brought the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction of Priest band members Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill and Scott Travis. The aforementioned Firepower features guitarist Richie Faulkner, who joined the Priest fold over a decade ago in 2011 and was also a part of 2014’s Redeemer Of Souls and the 2021’s 42-CD — yes, the band has released 40+ albums — box set Judas Priest: 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music.

On September 27, 2022, I had the pleasure of speaking with Judas Priest bassist and co-founder Ian Hill again, this time via Zoom and embedded below; our previous conversation from 20 years is also embedded below. More on Priest and its upcoming North American arena tour — which kicks off on October 13, 2022 in Wallingford, Connecticut — can be found online by clicking here, here and here.

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Tags: England, Heavy Metal, Ian Hill, Judas Priest, Nassau Coliseum, New York, Rob Halford

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."