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Halford - Live Insurrection
Halford - Live Insurrection
Metal-Is - 2001
By Keith Spargo
If there was any doubt that what Rob Halford pulled off in the studio for his return-to-form album Ressurection couldn't be done live, that doubt is now crushed with a ten thousand pound block of burning steel. In line with the grandest of Halford related releases, Live Insurrection takes you on a worldwide trip on his 2000-01 tour and hits every possible highlight along the way.
Opening with the one-two punch of "Ressurection" and "Made In Hell", it never stops. Culling material heavily from his newest album, a handful of Fight numbers and a very heavy dose of Judas Priest, this live offering is a perfect representation of Halford's career to date. His choice of Priest material especially caters to both the radio friendly fan and the obscure junkie, picking such absolute gems as "Stained Class", "Tyrant" and "Beyond the Realms of Death".
Halford's band are firing on all eight cylinders, perfectly replicating studio efforts of both Halford's solo work and Priest alike. One can feel the energy rush forth with the heavy crowd interaction, as the thousands of disciples worldwide pay their homage in the court of King Halford, quite possibly the finest metal vocalist ever and easily the most genre-defining.
Weighing in at a heavy 28 tracks spanning two discs, there is plenty of metal to go around. This may in fact be the only limiting factor of this release... only the most ardent listener will be able to make it through both discs at once. But, for those ardent a prize awaits at the end. Unearthed are three studio tracks; two unreleased Priest gems, one slated to appear on Turbo, the other in the Screaming For Vengeance era. And last but not least is "Screaming In The Dark", a brand new track that we're promised hints at the newer attack of the next Halford album. And it is pure punishment, taking the aggression of Two and then adding a new level of metallic fury.
There's definitely something for everyone on this searing behemoth. With the excellent booklet to boot there's no reason any self-respecting metalhead shouldn't add this to their collection on what comes across as a perfect biography of the mammoth year Rob Halford... and metal... so deservingly had.
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