ROB HALFORD: Why JUDAS PRIEST Songs Contain No Curse Words

June 23, 2021

In a new interview with Dr. Dot, Rob Halford was asked why he has never used any "curse words" in any of the songs that he has written for JUDAS PRIEST. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I love to swear, but I use it in a fun way; I use it in an expressive way — getting your emotions out. But I don't really think that it has much of a place in our world — in PRIEST. I mean, I see and hear it a lot in certain types of music, and, hey, that's your thing; it's your choice."

He continued: "Music and all art should not be censored. Once you start censoring art, it multiplies and it becomes a very dangerous thing to do. Again, it's all about choice. If you don't like something, don't listen to it. If it's something on the TV that's making you angry, change the channel. If [there's] something that makes you angry on social media, go somewhere else. But for me to use explicit language in a PRIEST song, I don't think I've found the moment yet.

"I have a lot of friends in metal that utilize the power of those words," Rob added. "If that's the word that really emphasizes a part of your message, then, by all means, you should use it."

Earlier this month, 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.

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.

Rob's autobiography, "Confess", arrived last September via Hachette Books.

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