Judas Priest

English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. Singer Rob Halford joined in 1973 and has fronted the band continuously except for a 1992-2003 hiatus. The twin-guitar attack of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton (1974-2011) became their defining sound. Critical to the development of heavy metal as a distinct genre and visual identity (leather, studs, motorcycles).

Their commercial breakthrough came with British Steel (1980); subsequent albums Screaming for Vengeance (1982), Defenders of the Faith (1984), and Painkiller (1990) cemented their status. K.K. Downing departed in 2011; Richie Faulkner replaced him. Eighteen studio albums total. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.