Judas Priest

On 18 September 2026 Judas Priest will take the stage at Forest National in Forest. The Birmingham band emerged in the early 1970s amid the British hard rock wave that moved toward heavy metal. Around bassist Ian Hill and the guitar core of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, later joined by Richie Faulkner, the distinctive twin-guitar sound developed: intertwining melodic lines, tight, angular riffs and Rob Halford’s high, assured vocals.

From the first steps with Rocka Rolla to the turning point Sad Wings of Destiny, the group charted its own course. With British Steel and Screaming for Vengeance Judas Priest opted for more direct metal and a visual code of leather, metal and industrial imagery. Painkiller raised the tempo further and bordered on speed metal. In the 1990s Halford departed and later returned, after which the 2000s and 2010s brought new chapters with Angel of Retribution, Redeemer of Souls and Firepower.

Live, this translates into compact, driving songs, duelling guitars and a voice that keeps everything sharp. Expect a set that places classics alongside more recent work, delivered by a band accustomed to large venues.