Original JUDAS PRIEST Singer Releases New ATKINS MAY PROJECT Album; More Details Revealed

November 5, 2012

Original JUDAS PRIEST singer Al Atkins and Christian guitarist and music artist Paul May have come together once again to create a powerful new CD called "Valley Of Shadows", now available on Gonzo Multimedia. Here once again, the men from the "Black Country" industrial area in the Midlands of Great Britain have produced an album of outstanding quality straight from the "home of metal." This excellent collection of songs sees Atkins deliver some standout vocal performances and May shred the axe like the old guitar masters.

"Valley Of Shadows" offers 10 "killer" tracks that burst with melody and metal mayhem. You'll take a journey through what seems to be an "evolution" of rock. With all the elements of "classic" hard rock and metal, yet retaining an underlying progressive core, "Valley Of Shadows" will not disappoint fans of the genre who decide to take the ride.

Says Al Atkins: "We have kept the same format for 'Valley Of Shadows' since it worked really well for our debut album, 'Serpent's Kiss', so we thought why change a winning formula." Paul May adds: "I think the new album definitely leans more towards that 'classic rock' feel, with some modern twists thrown in for good measure, retaining its metal edge."

Regarding the lyrical concepts covered on "Valley Of Shadows", May states: "The album is mainly about facing trials of life and the 'demons' you encounter on the way. It's about standing up and being counted when you understand who you are. The title 'Valley Of Shadows' relates to many things... that dark night of the soul that finds us all."

"Valley Of Shadows" track listing:

01. Welcome To The Nightmare
02. No Ordinary Man
03. Bitter Waters
04. Enslaved To Love
05. Stronger Is The Grace
06. Harder They Fall
07. Not Ready To Die
08. Messiah (Prelude)
09. Valley Of Shadows
10. The Shallowing (Return)

A five-minute YouTube clip containing audio samples of the tracks that will appear on the CD can be found below.

ATKINS MAY PROJECT's first CD, "Serpent's Kiss", was released last November via Gonzo Multimedia.

Atkins is the co-writer of several PRIEST songs which are included on the band's first two albums, "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings of Destiny", both of which eventually went gold. Atkins co-penned the heavy metal classic "Victim of Changes", which was a combination of Rob Halford's song "Red Light Lady" and Atkins' own "Whiskey Woman". He also co-wrote "Winter", "Never Satisfied", "Dreamer Deceiver" and "Caviar and Meths".

In 1989 Atkins released his debut solo album, "Judgement Day", to great acclaim. But it was "Heavy Thoughts" and "Victim of Changes" (the latter being his collaborative album with ex-JUDAS PRIEST drummer Dave Holland) that brought him strong sales and critical acclaim around the world.

JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill penned the foreword to Al Atkins's autobiography, titled "Dawn of the Metal Gods: My Life in Judas Priest and Heavy Metal". The book, which was written with Neil Daniels — a freelance rock writer and heavy metal fan who befriended Atkins during the writing of Neil's book "The Story Of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith" (Omnibus Press) — was released in 2009 via Iron Pages.

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