JUDAS PRIEST's ROB HALFORD: 'Honesty Brings You Peace'

In a new interview with Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station, JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford spoke about his recently released autobiography, "Confess". Co-written with Ian Gittins, the book offers readers a compelling, heartfelt and honest look at the struggles the 69-year-old has faced with addiction and his sexuality as well as exploring his music and his many brushes with controversy.

"That's a really important thing to have in your life — honesty," Rob said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "'Cause if you're an honest person, you don't lie, you don't have to cover your tracks. You don't have to be second-thinking everything that's going on — what you say, how you feel, what people might be saying. All that kind of falls away. So I think the biggest obstacle is finding your place of comfort and balance. And you already get that through living your life. You've just gotta live your life."

He continued: "For the most part, life is tough no matter what. I think it's a test — I think it's a big test, how you deal with the issues that are presented. You're walking on the street, and suddenly a great big heavy metal boulder [comes] in front of you. What do you do? You don't walk around it. You just start blasting away and push through it. So, I think, for me, that was one of the biggest revelations — was just discovering this great thing of… this honesty brings you peace."

"Confess" arrived last September via Hachette Books. In the book, Halford discusses in detail what it was like becoming the first metal icon to announce he is gay in 1998 during an MTV interview, despite knowing about his sexuality since he was 10. Although his bandmates and their management knew he was gay and were accepting, he was advised to be discreet given the macho hetero nature of the metal world. He also opens up about surviving sexual abuse, as well as his struggles with depression, substance abuse, sobriety, and the suicide of one of his former partners. He also talks about how his own suicide attempt in 1986 led him to the rehab program that saved his life.

Earlier this week, JUDAS PRIEST announced the rescheduled dates for the North American leg of its 50th-anniversary tour. Produced by Live Nation, the "50 Heavy Metal Years" trek will feature SABATON as openers. It will kick off on September 8 in Reading, Pennsylvania and run through October before concluding on November 5 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Tickets for the newly announced dates will go on sale beginning this Friday, June 11 at 10 a.m. local time at Ticketmaster. Tickets for the previously announced tour dates are available now.

In early April, JUDAS PRIEST's European tour, which was scheduled to kick off in late May, was once again postponed due to "ongoing COVID-19 vaccine issues." The trek will now run from May 27, 2022 in Moscow, Russia until July 31, 2022 in Oberhausen, Germany.

Last September, JUDAS PRIEST and Rufus Publications announced the publication of the first-ever official JUDAS PRIEST book documenting the band's extensive history over the last 50 years. Titled "Judas Priest - 50 Heavy Metal Years", the book has been put together by David Silver, Ross Halfin and Jayne Andrews.