Rob Halford

For his 1997 project Two, Rob Halford left Judas Priest, abandoned his metal roots, aligned himself musically with Trent Reznor, and publicly acknowledged his homosexuality. When that failed—the musical experimentation, not the homosexuality—Halford pushed the new sound back into the closet, ignited a new band that bears his surname, and eventually rejoined Judas Priest. Halford’s latest album, Made of Metal, prominently features a race car on the cover and contains fourteen suitably NWOBHM tracks. There’s minimal risk involved in throwing on a Halford album, and just as little when purchasing tickets to a Halford show. Everyone involved knows what they’re going to get, and plenty of heavy metal fans wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Updated 11/29/2010