Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith
I remember having a conversation with someone many years ago about Judas Priest in comparison to Iron Maiden, with them being a huge Priest fan and myself preferring Maiden. The conversation went something along the lines of people not being able to like both bands, much like the old Rolling Stones v Beatles conversation, and so we agreed to disagree and went our separate ways, never to speak of it again.
This all changed recently when we were sent through a copy of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith by Neil Daniels to review, and all of a sudden my mind was set whirring. As a Maiden fan was I allowed to read and enjoy the book, should I be passing it to a Priest fan to check out, would this change my opinion of things? In the end I came to a decision – sit down and read the book, then see what the outcome is at the end of it.
Regardless of personal opinion, there’s no denying the influence that Judas Priest have had on the world of metal, having had a career spanning 30 years and selling millions of records, they’re one of the originators of the NWOBHM bands, and still a band that can draw one hell of a crowd – something which Daniels has managed to chart throughout his veritable tome of information.
Writing without the permission or direct involvement of the band, Daniels has managed to compile a complete historical account of Judas Priest, looking at their various different line ups, the ups and downs of the band as well as the overall story of the band that shaped metal – without unfair influence or bias which could be caused if the band were to be involved. Using interviews (previously published and otherwise) with current and former members, the book ends up being a must read for fans of metal generally (even if you don’t consider yourself to be a fan of Judas Priest), purely for the well written and informative nature of Daniels’ writing and his ability to tell the story of a world famous band without sounding condescending or pretentious at any stage.
Through the different chapters of writing, the reader is provided with every possible detail of the band, through interviews which have been previously published as well as informative insights from the likes of Tim Owens (Ripper who went on to join Iced Earth) in an interview with Daniels himself. The sheer accomplishment of cramming 30 years of a bands history into a book of this size is no small achievement, and to put it simply, Daniels has achieved it with aplomb.
Well written and containing countless photographs of various band members and moments of historical interest from their career, Judas Priest:Defenders Of The Faith should not be seen as merely an account of the highs and lows of a heavy metal band, but instead should be viewed as a historical account covering 30 years of one of the most influential and important bands in the world of heavy metal. Further to this, this shouldn’t be seen as a book solely for the Judas Priest fan, it’s a book which will appeal to fans of music, fans of biographies and quite simply, anyone who is interested in how metal came to be.
To find out about Neil Daniels, check out his website HERE, and to get hold of a copy of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith, click HERE.
On a personal level, the story which Daniels has provided hasn’t changed my mind on which of the NWOBHM bands I prefer, but it has proved to be an informative and interesting read from start to finish. Whilst I normally try to steer away from giving personal opinions on things and instead, try to remain balanced, it has to be said that I struggled to put this book down on several occasions and found that the manner in which it is written was easy to read and intriguing from start to finish – certainly a read which I will be recommending.
This all changed recently when we were sent through a copy of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith by Neil Daniels to review, and all of a sudden my mind was set whirring. As a Maiden fan was I allowed to read and enjoy the book, should I be passing it to a Priest fan to check out, would this change my opinion of things? In the end I came to a decision – sit down and read the book, then see what the outcome is at the end of it.
Regardless of personal opinion, there’s no denying the influence that Judas Priest have had on the world of metal, having had a career spanning 30 years and selling millions of records, they’re one of the originators of the NWOBHM bands, and still a band that can draw one hell of a crowd – something which Daniels has managed to chart throughout his veritable tome of information.
Writing without the permission or direct involvement of the band, Daniels has managed to compile a complete historical account of Judas Priest, looking at their various different line ups, the ups and downs of the band as well as the overall story of the band that shaped metal – without unfair influence or bias which could be caused if the band were to be involved. Using interviews (previously published and otherwise) with current and former members, the book ends up being a must read for fans of metal generally (even if you don’t consider yourself to be a fan of Judas Priest), purely for the well written and informative nature of Daniels’ writing and his ability to tell the story of a world famous band without sounding condescending or pretentious at any stage.
Through the different chapters of writing, the reader is provided with every possible detail of the band, through interviews which have been previously published as well as informative insights from the likes of Tim Owens (Ripper who went on to join Iced Earth) in an interview with Daniels himself. The sheer accomplishment of cramming 30 years of a bands history into a book of this size is no small achievement, and to put it simply, Daniels has achieved it with aplomb.
Well written and containing countless photographs of various band members and moments of historical interest from their career, Judas Priest:Defenders Of The Faith should not be seen as merely an account of the highs and lows of a heavy metal band, but instead should be viewed as a historical account covering 30 years of one of the most influential and important bands in the world of heavy metal. Further to this, this shouldn’t be seen as a book solely for the Judas Priest fan, it’s a book which will appeal to fans of music, fans of biographies and quite simply, anyone who is interested in how metal came to be.
To find out about Neil Daniels, check out his website HERE, and to get hold of a copy of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith, click HERE.
On a personal level, the story which Daniels has provided hasn’t changed my mind on which of the NWOBHM bands I prefer, but it has proved to be an informative and interesting read from start to finish. Whilst I normally try to steer away from giving personal opinions on things and instead, try to remain balanced, it has to be said that I struggled to put this book down on several occasions and found that the manner in which it is written was easy to read and intriguing from start to finish – certainly a read which I will be recommending.