Published on Aug 28, 2000
It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t closely follow Rob
Halford’s solo career since he left Judas Priest in the
mid-’90s.
It’s not that I was harboring some ill will against Halford for
his decision; I just didn’t find myself instantly drawn to projects
like Fight and Two. Besides, Halford got enough people’s undies in
a twist when he moved towards industrial and declared metal
dead.
Had I followed Halford through all of those trends, I probably
would have been tainted by doubt when I heard he was back, rocking
at full throttle. I probably wouldn’t have given his “comeback”
album,
Resurrection, a fair shake.
At times like this, it pays to be ignorant, as Halford proves
once and for all he is a heavy metal god when it comes to singing,
and his vocal powers haven’t diminished in the least.
An intensely personal disc, Halford pours the story of his life
into these 12 tracks, daring anyone to come in and accept
everything – both the man and his music – on Halford’s terms. Me? I
have no problem with that, especially when everything sounds so
good!
You know that Halford has been through a self-discovery process,
just from this line in the title track (which opens the album): “I
rid the demons from my heart / And found the truth was with me from
the start.” Ka-pow. Take this track, the mini-“career
retrospective” “Made In Hell” and even a track like “Silent
Screams,” and you’ll quickly understand this is a new man who is
intensely dedicated to his craft.
And the voice? Simply put, Halford has never sounded better.
Sure, he doesn’t use the falsetto screams a lot over the course of
Resurrection, but in a sense, the music doesn’t call for
that kind of screeching. It’s always good to hear Halford hit the
top of his vocal range, but in many ways, taking on more of a vocal
sneer conveys more emotion along the way on this disc.
Halford even joins up with another vocal legend from the New
Wave of British Heavy Metal – namely, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson
on “The One You Love To Hate”. At times, it’s hard to tell which
man is singing on this track – and I mean this as the ultimate
compliment for both Dickinson and Halford, since they mesh so well
together.
Interestingly enough, it’s the one song that Halford had no
writing credit on – “Twist” – that I found to be the most
intriguing. I don’t know why; maybe it’s because it has a sound
similar to older Priest material. Maybe it’s just the way that
Halford delivers the goods on this one. In any case, it smokes.
Special mention should be given to Halford’s backing band; it
takes a lot of skill to crank out solid metal without being
compared to Halford’s old band often, and they do this well. Also,
producer Roy Z. (formerly of Dickinson’s solo band) captures the
essence of Halford perfectly, and is a natural pairing. (He also
had a hand in much of the songwriting.)
Resurrection is aptly named, but it’s hardly an idle dream.
For Halford, it is a return to form that many people have been
secretly praying for. I don’t think this is a sign he’ll be
returning to Priest any time soon (contrary to rumors I hear almost
every day); if anything, he’s now ready to give his former
bandmates a real run for their money.
Halford wasn’t dead; he was merely resting.
Resurrection is ample proof of that, and is a rare
“must-own” album of this age of metal.