Rob Halford Calls Judas Priest the First ‘Definitive’ Metal Band

• Rob Halford might be biased, but he has some high opinions of Judas Priest, thanks to Tony Iommi.
• When asked about the beginnings of heavy metal by Marc Maron, The Metal God said, “Some say there was the great band called Blue Cheer, ‘Summertime Blues’ was a really heavy song. Some people suggested the name heavy metal was from a Steppenwolf song, ‘heavy metal thunder’ [from ‘Born To Be Wild’].”
• He continued, “But as far as the sound, this is the great debate. Using [Black] Sabbath as a primary example… I’ve always pushed that Sabbath were a heavy metal band, but my friend Tony Iommi will always go, ‘No, we’re like a rock band, a hard rock band. I said, ‘No, you’re heavy metal.’ ‘No, no…’
• Halford concluded, “So, I will take that trophy that Judas Priest were the first ever, definitive heavy metal band … It’s a definitive sound, it’s a well-honed craft that came from these guys in the band that all had their own definition of what this heavy sound, this heavy experience should be.”

Source