By Nicholas Kobe, Contributor

[Photo courtesy of Cleveland.com]

Legendary metal act Judas Priest was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 5. The Judas Priest segment of the show featured a performance from the band playing their three biggest hits, “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”, “Breakin the Law” and “Living after Midnight”.

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The performance is significant based solely on the personnel on stage. Former drummer Les Binks played with Scott Travis on stage. Most anticipated for fans however was seeing K.K Downing and Glen Tipton play together again. The duo’s harmonization and raw power is a large portion of what makes records like British Steel, Screaming for Vengeance and Painkiller so incredible.

According to an interview with Billboard Magazine, Downing left the band in 2011 citing “an ongoing breakdown in working relationships between myself and elements of the band and management for some time.” He would later form a new band K.K’s Priest who would release their debut album in 2021 titled Sermons of the Sinner. The vocals on the record are done by Tim “Ripper” Owens, who notably fronted Judas Priest on 1997’s Jugulator (not on streaming platforms) and 2001’s Demolition, but was not included in the Rock Hall’s induction of the band

Despite the separation between the current touring lineup of Priest and some of the former members, Rob Halford expressed the desire for everyone to perform at the induction ceremony, telling The Rolling Stone “You’ve got to remove the emotional clutter and just reference this great celebration.” “The music matters. It’s all about the music.”. 

The 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will stream on HBO Max on November 19.