The Metal God himself via a Frontiers release (OK, distribution, partnership or whatever)? Any way you take this fact, it's breathtaking!!! This is a cuts selection from the voice of Heavy Metal music, featuring tracks from his works after leaving JUDAS PRIEST in the early 90s. To be more precise, the combo sees tunes form HALFORD and FIGHT albums, while I was thrilled to see an obscure early JUDAS PRIEST 'gem' performed in this CD/DVD issue. Between the ROB and the HALFORD...Heavy Metal in its purest form, right?
The main thing regarding Metal God Essentials Vol. 1 has to do with two titles, first thing in the morning (sic): Forgotten Generation (exclusively as an i-Tunes digital download, so far) and Drop Out. There are brand new Rob Halford recordings in more than four years' time, and they sound really fine. There's some other kinky stuff - in the audio CD - by referring to the 1999 demo version of Silent Screams plus a Redemption alternative mix. The DVD disc - on the other hand - features some good footage from the Ressurection and Live Insurrection days/tours, plus promo clips of a bunch of songs...plus an unexpected take of Never Satisfied (JUDAS PRIEST - 1974) that made my heart spring!
The combo will come out in a digipack issue with a 20-page booklet inside, and - according to a Frontiers press release - will be followed by a set of another 3(!) box sets with tentative titles FIGHT - War Of Words - The Film, HALFORD - Live At Rock In Rio III and HALFORD - Live Crucible World Tour. These are releases of Rob's own label, Metal God Entertainment in the first place, I think. Enough of 'teasers' off these visuals is what you can see in the DVD part of the Metal God Essentials Vol. 1 album, to give you an extra idea.
Normal tracks off the post-PRIEST Rob Halford's studio albums include Resurection, Made In Hell, Slow Down and Locked And Loaded from Ressurection while the Crucible follow-up offers cuts like Golgotha, Crystaland Trail Of Tears. Not to forget, the FIGHT days come also up, with songs like Into The Pit, Nailed To The Gun and War Of Words. In (limited) case you are not aware of the HALFORD and FIGHT taste, let's just remind that both HALFORD studio releases deal with 'sharp riffing' classic Metal music with modern production (call me Roy Z) while FIGHT's War Of Words (originally released in 1992) saw Rob Halford's 'transitive' period between the Painkiller era of PRIEST and his - average, in my poor opinion - works with 2WO.
(Thankfully, by the way, no further FIGHT or 2WO recordings are featured here...)
Rob Halford is the mere answer to the what's like singing Heavy Metal music? question. Metal God Essentials Vol. 1 is essential for all Metal fans; especially - weird enough - the old-school ones, who think Rob's contribution ended after Painkiller was released. Needless to say, we all are looking forward for the Metal God's future releases; the man who - when he wants to - can blast our ears swiftly as hell.