HALFORD ROB

UK

Heavy Metal

Discography

Биография:

Почти двадцать лет Роб Халфорд провел в составе легендарного металлического коллектива из Бирмингема "Judas priest". Будучи еще членом "Priest" он занимался сторонней деятельностью, сотрудничая в частности с Дио, "Krokus", и "Skid row". После ухода из родной команды Халфорд сначала связался с экстремальщиками из "Pantera", а затем основал проект "Fight", разочаровавший многих поклонников творчества "Judas Priest". Следуя модным веяниям Роб завел дружбу с Трентом Резнором из "Nine inch nails", и под его влиянием основал индастриал-команду "Two". Однако этот проект оказался провальным, и Халфорд решил вернуться к своим металлическим корням, занявшись подготовкой нового материала.

В его новую группу, которую он окрестил своим именем, также вошли ветеран "Riot" и "Spastic ink" барабанщик Роб Ярзомбек, гитаристы Патрик Лачман (экс-"State of the art", "Diesel machine") и Майк Класяк, а также коллега Роба по "Two" басист Рэй Риндо.

На своем сайте Халфорд выложил трек "Silent Screams", который впечатлил фирму "Sanctuary", предложившую заключить с ней контракт. В результате нового сотрудничества на свет появился альбом "Resurrection", очень восторженно принятый слушателями и музыкальной прессой. Например, журнал "Classic Rock" назвал эту пластинку лучшим творением Роба за всю его карьеру, включая бытность в "Judas priest". И действительно альбом представлял собой мощный классический хэви, немного осовремененный. После выхода диска "Halford" полгода провели на гастролях, объездив Северную и Южную Америку, Европу и Японию.

Во время этого тура группа приняла участие на фестивале "Rock In Rio", где выступила перед двухсоттысячной аудиторией. На основе этого концерта в 2001 году вышел двойной "живой" альбом "Live Insurrection". Туда вошли песни из репертуара "Halford", "Fight" и "Judas priest", а на треке "The One You Love To Hate" гостил Брюс Дикинсон из "Iron maiden".

В том же году музыканты "Halford" развлекались сторонними делами: Майк выпустил свой третий сольник, "The Spilling", Ярзомбек и Риндо поработали в "Spastic ink", а Лачман замутил новый проект с лидером "Prong" Томми Виктором и барабанщиком Дэном Лаудо. Тем не менее, к середине 2002-го у халфордовцев был готов второй студийный альбом, "Crucible". Этот релиз ничем не уступал своему предшественнику, и только добавил группе успеха. Вслед за выходом диска последовала серия выступлений команды на различных европейских фестивалях типа "Gods Of Metal", "Sweden Rock Festival", "Rockwave", "With Full Force" и других. На этих концертах Халфорд и компания потчевали публику не только своими вещами, но и классикой из репертуара "Judas priest".

Вслед за Европой "Halford" посетили Северную Америку. Правда, в этой затее не принимал участие Лачман, поскольку был занят в "Diesel machine". Его обязанности пришлось выполнять продюсеру группы Рою Зеду. Он же занимал место гитариста и на японских гастролях, которые команда провела в компании с финнами "Children of Bodom".

http://hardrockcafe.narod.ru/

English

Robert John Arthur Halford (born August 25, 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Halford is known for his multi-octave vocal range and high-pitched screams, and for his leather-clad biker image. Halford has been nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal.

Early years

Halford was born and raised in Walsall,[3] a town to the northwest of Birmingham, in England's West Midlands. He sang for numerous bands including Athens Wood, Lord Lucifer, Abraxas, Thark and Hiroshima.

Judas Priest

In 1973, founding Judas Priest member Ian Hill was dating a woman from nearby town Walsall who suggested that her brother, Robert Halford, be considered as a singer for the band[4]. Halford, a former cinema manager, joined the band, bringing with him drummer John Hinch from his previous band, Hiroshima. In August 1974, the band debuted with the single "Rocka Rolla", before releasing an album of the same name a month later. The next albums wereSad Wings of Destiny (1976), which included a variety of old material; 1977's Sin After Sin; and 1978's Stained Class and Killing Machine (released in America as Hell Bent for Leather). Judas Priest, c. 1977. (left to right) Hill, Downing, Halford & Tipton Judas Priest, c. 1977. (left to right) Hill, Downing, Halford & Tipton

Judas Priest recorded twelve studio and two concert albums which garnered different degrees of critical and financial success. Overall, the band has sold in excess of 30 million albums globally.[5]

In 1980, the band released British Steel. The songs were shorter and had more mainstream radio hooks, but retained the heavy metal feel. The 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance' had a song, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," which garnered strong US radio airplay. Turbo was released in 1986, during the glam metal "hair band" era. In 1988, Ram it Down was released, showcasing re-recorded material that was scrapped from the Turbo years. In 1990, the Painkiller album dropped the 1980s-style synthesisers for almost all of the songs.

During the tour for Painkiller, Halford rode onstage on a large Harley-Davidson motorcycle, dressed in motorcycle leathers, as part of the show. He collided with a drum riser and fell off the motorcycle, breaking his nose.[6] After regaining consciousness, Halford returned and performed the whole concert. In the band's Behind the Music episode, Rob named the accident as one of the events that caused the rift between him and the rest of the band that would eventually force them apart. After a 20-year career with Judas Priest, Halford announced to the band on July 4, 1991 that he was leaving the band, and he also sued their label, Sony, for restrictive practices.

Fight and 2wo

He first formed the band Fight with Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis, bassist Jay Jay and guitarists Brian Tilse and Russ Parish recording two albums between 1993 and 1995: "War of Words" (1993) and, after Parish's departure and his replacement by Mark Chausee, "A Small Deadly Space" (1995). While the first one was a straightforward tough and solid metal record, the second record had a grungier sound, making it less appealing for fans who had developed a taste for his debut album.

In between both albums, Fight released a EP, "Mutations", featuring "War of Words" studio versions, live cuts and alternate mixes Immediately before this, he had recorded a track called "Light Comes Out of Black" for the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The song featured music provided by Pantera, although their contribution is uncredited. After Fight, he collaborated with guitarist John Lowery in an industrial-influenced project called 2wo which was produced by Trent Reznor(mainman for Nine Inch Nails) and released on his Nothing Records label.

In 1998, Halford revealed he was homosexual in an interview on MTV. His sexual orientation was somewhat of an open secret among fans and the heavy metal press. The response from the heavy metal community has been widely accepting. Halford returned to his metal roots in 2000 with his band Halford and the widely acclaimed album Resurrection (2000), produced by Roy Z. A live album in 2001 was followed up by 2002's Crucible. That same year, Halford had a small role in the film Spun in which he played a gay sex store clerk.

Other activities

A reunion with Judas Priest had been speculated on for some time, at least since the release of the Resurrection album which some critics claimed sounded more like Judas Priest than that band's previous album Jugulator (1997). Halford himself had never ruled it out, claiming in 2002 that "Gut instinct tells me that at some point it will happen".[7] In July 2003, the singer returned to his former band and they released Angel of Retribution in 2005. The world tour that accompanied the release marked the band's 30th anniversary.

Rob Halford has also performed as the vocalist for Black Sabbath at three shows. He replaced Ronnie James Dio for two nights in November 1992, when Dio elected not to open a show for Ozzy Osbourne. Dio's contract had actually expired with the conclusion of the Dehumanizer tour and he saw no reason why he should do these two shows, given the things Ozzy had said about him over the years. Halford stepped in, having first spoken to Dio, with whom he has a good relationship. He also replaced Osbourne in Black Sabbath on August 25, 2004, his 53rd birthday at an Ozzfest show in Camden, New Jersey, since Ozzy could not perform due to bronchitis.

In the October 2006 issue of "Classic Rock" magazine Rob Halford stated the only songs on his iPod are his own work and Queen (of which he has their entire catalog).[8]

Discography

Judas Priest

• Rocka Rolla (1974)
• Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
• Sin After Sin (1977)
• Stained Class (1978)
• Killing Machine (1978) (released as Hell Bent for Leather in the USA 1979)
• Unleashed in the East Live (1979)
• British Steel (1980)
• Point of Entry (1981)
• Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
• Defenders of the Faith (1984)
• Turbo (1986)
• Priest...Live! (1987)
• Ram It Down (1988)
• Painkiller (1990)
• Metalogy Box-set (2004)
• Angel of Retribution (2005)
• Rising In the East DVD (2005)
• Live Vengeance '82 DVD re-release, UMD (2006)
• The Essential Judas Priest Compilation (2006)
• Nostradamus (Concept Album) (2008)

Fight

• War of Words (1993)
• Mutations EP (1994)
• A Small Deadly Space (1995)
• War Of Words - The Film (Nov 2007)

2wo

• Voyeurs (1997)

Halford

• Resurrection (2000)
• Live Insurrection (2001)
• Crucible (2002)
• Fourging The Furnace EP (Japan only release) (2003)
• Metal God Essentials Vol 1 (2007)

Guest appearances

• Krokus – Headhunter vocals on "Ready to Burn" (1983)
• Surgical Steel - "Surgical Steel"-Demo, vocals on "Smooth And Fast" (1984)

• Ugly Kid Joe – America's Least Wanted vocals on "Goddamn Devil" (1992)
• Skid Row – B-Side Ourselves vocals on "Delivering the Goods" in a live version (1992)
• the same outfit also performed for a "Live In Studio" session on the MTV show "Headbanger's Ball" (1992)
• on two occasions on November, 14th and 15th,1992 Rob Halford took over vocals during the set of Black Sabbath who played a double performance at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, CA (1992)
• Bullring Brummies, a studio session line-up that came together to contribute to the Nativity In Black tribute compilation album of Black Sabbath cover songs (1994)
• whilst playing their concert in Miami, FL, Metallica asked Rob Halford on stage to perform a version of "Rapid Fire", originally recorded by Judas Priest on "British Steel (album)" in 1980 (1994)
• Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R vocals on "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" (2000)
• Furious IV– Is That You (2002)
• Spun - Motion Picture (2002), "Pornclerk" character
• Brütal Legend - Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3 "Voice Over Work as General Lionwhyte" (Coming in 2008)