JUDAS PRIEST: Czech Republic, Austria Dates Added To 'Epitaph' Tour

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have added dates in Czech Republic and Austria to their upcoming farewell tour.

After storming the world for nearly 40 years and taking its very special brand of heavy metal to all four corners of the planet, JUDAS PRIEST has announced plans to embark on a final world tour. However, the mighty PRIEST will certainly be going out strong as it rocks the planet starting in 2011 on the massive "Epitaph" trek — hitting all the major cities throughout the world where it will play the songs that helped make the name JUDAS PRIEST synonymous with heavy metal.

JUDAS PRIEST will be starting its world tour in Europe and has just confirmed the following festivals for 2011:

Jun. 09 - Sweden Rock Festival, Sölvesborg, Sweden
Jun. 11 - Sauna Open Air, Tampere, Finland
Jun. 17 - Copenhell, Copenhagen, Denmark
Jun. 19 - Hellfest, Clisson, France
Jun. 22 - Gods of Metal, Milan, Italy
Jun. 25 - Graspop Metal Meeting, Dessel, Belgium
Jun. 28 - O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
Jun. 29 - Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
Jul. 23 - High Voltage, London, UK
Aug. 05 - Wacken Open Air, Wacken, Germany

Singer Rob Halford told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that PRIEST wouldn't have sustained such a lengthy career without the support of their fans. "It's an ongoing metal love affair that's been solid and kept us going and motivated, quite frankly," he said. "Bands don't exist without the people that support them, and so it is with PRIEST, you know? Without our fans we're nothing, so we love our fans dearly, and we do as much as we can to keep that bond strong and solid."

The earliest version of JUDAS PRIEST was formed in 1969 in Birmingham, England by bassist Ian Hill and guitarist K.K. Downing.

Halford joined in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton joined a year later, completing the core lineup of the band for most of its career.

The group released seven albums between 1974 and 1980, finally hitting it big with 1979's concert set, "Unleashed In The East", and its 1980 studio follow-up, "British Steel".

Halford left the group for a 11-year period between 1992 and 2003, with Tim "Ripper" Owens taking over on vocals for two studio albums and a live set. Halford returned in 2003.

JUDAS PRIEST has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and is considered by many to be the second most influential heavy metal band after BLACK SABBATH.

Halford almost singlehandedly established the "leather and studs" look that became synonymous with metal music for years, while Tipton and Downing established the "twin lead guitarists" sound emulated by countless heavy rock acts.