Ozzfest, featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Halford, Motley Crue, more, Sunday, Aug. 22, 12:45 p.m. Susquehanna Bank Center (1 Harbour Blvd, Camden, N.J.). Tickets: $19.50-$155, Ticketmaster outlets. Info: www.halfordmusic.com
We’re sorry to shatter anyone’s demonic image, but Rob Halford — the vocalist with the banshee wail, the man dubbed “The Metal God” — eats yogurt. And he loves watching NBA basketball games.
But don’t fret. He’s able to put the approachable, nice-guy that he is aside when it’s time to rock.
Known for fronting Judas Priest to superstardom, Halford, one never to rest on his laurels, has resurrected another of his bands, simply called Halford. The group is his focus while Priest takes some time off, and the shaven-headed singer is making the most of his time with Halford, performing shows on this summer’s Ozzfest main stage — the tour also features Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Black Label Society and more — and prepping to release a new album, “Halford IV: Made Of Metal.” He’s already put out two singles from the new record: “The Mower” and “Made Of Metal.”
With Ozzfest coming to Camden, N.J., on Sunday, Aug. 22, a cordial and forthcoming Halford called the Weekender last week to discuss his namesake band, his status as a heavy metal legend and what motivates him to keep flying the flag of metal 35 years into his career.
WEEKENDER: What type of feeling do you get performing with Halford as opposed to performing with Judas Priest or your other projects?
HALFORD: The energy, it’s totally different, as it should be. I think Priest will always be my band. There’s just a wonderful feeling of contentment there. With my solo activities, it needs to be a bit more edgy, something a bit more out of the box, so to speak.
When I’m standing on stage with (Judas Priest’s) K.K. (Downing) and Glenn (Tipton) and Ian (Hill) and Scott (Travis), it’s completely different to when I’m standing on stage with (Halford’s) “Metal” Mike (Chlasciak) and (Roy) Z and Mike D. (Davis) and Bobby (Jarzombek). They play differently. My voice is the only similarity.
It’s like a Philly basketball player going to play for New Jersey. It’s the same game, but with a different team. That’s the best way to kind of describe it.
WEEKENDER: What type of setlist are you playing at the Ozzfest shows?
HALFORD: Mixing it up. Primarily, this is a great opportunity for the band to connect with the Halford fans that have been patient.
Some Halford, maybe one or two tracks from the Fight band — that still seems to resonate, there’s something about that band, especially the first record, it’s always popping in and out of the Top 100 of iTunes metal; I don’t know why that is. So some Halford, some Fight, maybe a couple Priest tracks. But I’m not going to be a tribute to myself. I love my band dearly, Priest.
WEEKENDER: Tell us about the upcoming album “Halford IV: Made Of Metal.”
HALFORD: Um … pretty eclectic, musically. As much as what drives me as a solo writer, and I’ve written most of this record myself for the first time in a long time. I suppose I’m just, really, at this time of my life in my metal, I’m just doing things that really give me the biggest kick, as far as the challenge of writing the good song, a song that’s full of character. It goes really from the early blues-type of metal experience to what you’ve heard with a track like “The Mower.”
WEEKENDER: And you’ve recently released the Halford “Live In Anaheim” DVD and CD. So you have a lot of “product” available right now, as they say.
HALFORD: I’m really roaring ahead and taking as much of the opportunity that’s available in this 12 months that Priest is taking off. Then Priest will be roaring out again in a world tour in 2011.
WEEKENDER: How does it feel to have had such an impact on the creation of the sound and image of heavy metal?
HALFORD: I think it’s unbelievable. I probably cherish it more than ever before. When all of these accolades and awards were being presented some years ago, it was more than a surprise than anything else. Now, whatever I do, I’m aware of the representation of what I need to be about. I’ve never taken anything for granted. It’s a fragile lifestyle. So many peripheral things that can interfere with what you want to do and be.
I think you can’t kind of take it easy. Just because you’ve got how many NBA rings? — I’m a huge basketball fan — just because you got those rings, it don’t mean nothing. It’s a nice accomplishment, but you have the next season.
WEEKENDER: You’ve been performing for 35 years. How do you keep your singing voice so powerful?
HALFORD: Ya know, some days I get really frustrated because I can’t do the things that I could do when I was a 20-year-old metal-head. I can still belt it out. I would probably drive myself nuts if I was to try to recreate note for note what I was doing in 1975.
I’m 25 years clean and sober, which I know is real important to my physical well-being. The human voice, it’s an instrument, and you need to take care of it.
WEEKENDER: What’s your typical routine on a concert day?
HALFORD: OK. I try to get up as late as I can, because I’m a night owl. And then I have my cereal and my yogurt and the juice, and it’s e-mail time. I scour through all the e-mails. The evenings, it could be writing sessions, recording, rehearsing, planning for things.
WEEKENDER: Do you have any hobbies? Or is it all metal, all the time?
HALFORD: Uh, not really. I suppose I just can’t turn it off. It’s just what I live for. I can’t sit on a beach somewhere with a drink with an umbrella in it. It would drive me nuts!
As I travel on more so in my life, I don’t think about the end. My voice is still doing what I want it to do. As long as I feel this passion, I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.
WEEKENDER: The heavy metal world seems to be like a close-knit extended family, with you, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and your late friend Ronnie James Dio always saying kind things about each other in the press. You even sang for Sabbath twice in concert — once filling in for Ronnie, once filling in for Ozzy. How would you describe that community of metal musicians and your relationships within that community?
HALFORD: It’s important. Your fanbase sustains you. I think we sustain each other. Metal, to this day, has never been looked upon with any great kind of respect. The music is very rarely acknowledged. So when you have a glorious moment, like a Grammy that Priest had recently, that really makes you say, “Yeah, we’re great musicians, we put on great shows.” It’s nice for that upper echelon of people that tend to look down on us to recognize that.
WEEKENDER: How would you describe your relationship with Ozzy?
HALFORD: In a British way, like best mates. We both traveled similar paths in a lot of ways, but I think we’re probably uniquely different from each other in terms of character and personality. The big, solid bond about us is we love heavy metal.
WEEKENDER: Are there any newer bands that you think can carry on the spirit of metal?
HALFORD: There’s loads of bands. Oh, God (pauses). I’ll give you just a few: War Of Ages, Heaven Shall Burn, Rosetta, Bleeding Through, Impending Doom. Just a ton of bands.
HALFORD: How did growing up in the industrial West Midlands of England influence your music?
WEEKENDER: It’s very important. When you’re growing up in that environment with that type of experience, and you, both at home and school, your work mates as you grow up, it instills certain characteristics of your psyche. The people are hard-working. You’re grateful for what you get.
I think in heavy metal there’s practically nobody born with the proverbial spoon in your mouth.
I grew up breathing the metal. It’s still inside me.
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