JUDAS PRIEST's ROB HALFORD opens up about his "bad depressions”
05-02-2025
In a new interview with Lyndsey Parker of Gold Derby, JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford was asked where his positive attitude comes from. He responded: ”My sobriety. I just celebrated 39 years this past January, the sixth. One day at a time. It’s a great way to live, because you’re living in the moment. It’s pointless worrying about tomorrow because you don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow. Plans and ideas and dreams are vital, but tomorrow hasn’t happened. Yesterday’s gone. It’s in the past. You can’t change anything. You can maybe look at things that could be utilized to fix things in the next opportunity. So living in the moment is just so important. And look, where I’m at in my life, I’ve got nothing to complain about, absolutely nothing to complain about. But a lot of it is mental health. Regardless of who you are and what you do in life, to try and find the balance and harmony of mental health is really, really important.”
He continued: “I used to have really, really, really bad depression, not only when I was drinking, but as I came out of drinking. And I think that kind of came from my mom’s side, with the DNA and all that kind of stuff. Somehow I got through that. I didn’t go to therapy. No, I did my research. Yeah, a lot of it again is trying to understand… Sometimes there’s a chemical imbalance that has to be treated and can be treated successfully with the right pharmaceuticals, but sometimes you bring it on yourself, and that is stress, that is just overworrying about things that really haven’t happened or in your mind they might happen and all this plays on into your into your mental health. So that is something that I treasure amongst everything else — sobriety and staying in a mental positive frame of mind. Because negativity is crushing — negative thinking, negative things that you see and hear on the Internet or on the news, I try and just blank that out because it has no value, it has no purpose. It doesn’t build, it destroys. So, all of that is just part of trying to find the joy of waking up and thanking God for the day and just getting through the day — and just trying to push out as much goodness and kindness that you possibly can. It’s easy to do, and the circumstances surrounding getting to that place can be difficult, but we’ve all got a good heart. And so all of that is a part of staying in the light. Stay in the light. Stay with the love.”
Halford previously talked about his sobriety last May in an interview with Kat Mykals of the 103 GBF radio station. Asked how he stays humble in order to maintain his sobriety when he is literally known to the world as a Metal God, he responded: “First thing in the morning, I say prayers. Last thing at night, I say prayers. I have to — that’s part of the sober routine, staying sober.
“I don’t think that’s ever been lost on me because I know how hard it is for any band to stay together,” he continued. “Bands are so complex and so fragile. The toughest bands in the world are like made of glass — they can just shatter and break apart for the craziest of reasons. So to be able to do this work, this job for over 50 years, I am honored and I am humbled by it. I can’t believe it, and I’m eternally grateful — I’m grateful every day that I wake up that I’m in this band, JUDAS PRIEST. What a band, what a life, what a story. So, reflection, gratitude, being kind. And it’s tough, particularly in the world that we live in. We’re surrounded by a constant screaming clutter. And I’m sure being sober has been a big part of my understanding of this. You’ve gotta try and find your own internal peace and harmony. And that’s tough. It’s hard work. You can’t let it go. You’re working at it all the time. So it’s a lot of that. But truly, I’m just so, like I said, grateful and honored to be in this band doing the work that I love to do, understanding the power of metal, understanding the power of rock and roll.
“I’m sure people have told you time and time and time again that they’ve been listening to your show and you’ve helped them get through a hard part of the day or you played a song that made them cry or you played a song that made them feel good. So this is the power of music that unites us and keeps us all in this connectivity. We call ourselves the metal community in PRIEST, and this inclusiveness, everybody’s welcome. And I think again, it’s making everybody feel a part of your life.
“When we’re up there on stage, when I’m up there being the Metal God and doing my stuff, we’re doing this together,” Rob added. “It’s not just me. Firstly, I can’t do that without you guys. I’d be stupid doing that to an empty room. So, that’s never lost on me. Every single show is special in that respect, and every single show works its magic for me as a person.
“Before I go on stage, I say my serenity prayer. When I come off stage, I say my serenity prayer. I’m a prayer freak. But it helps me. It’s just a beautiful thing. And some of my friends, they say, ‘Why are you always praying?’ ‘I’m not always praying.’ I said, ‘Do you pray?’ I go, ‘Just try it. What have you got to lose? You’ve got nothing to lose. You’ve got everything to gain by just finding just even one moment in the day, just like 30 seconds of your day, just close your eyes and say a serenity prayer, and eventually it’ll work. Things will start happening. You’ve got to work at it. It’s like love. You can’t expect these things to come to you. You can’t go, ‘Let me win the lottery. Let me get this. Let me do it.’ You can’t do that. You’ve gotta work, you’ve gotta work. And when you work, when you put in the work, you get the rewards. So all of that is wrapped up in this staying in a sensible, realistic place.”
JUDAS PRIEST have announced the dates for the “Shield Of Pain” 2025 European tour.
The 12-date trek will kick off on June 14, 2025 in Oslo, Norway and conclude on July 20, 2025 in Oberhausen, Germany.
Tour dates:
June 14 – Tjuvholmen Arena, Hamar, Oslo, Norway
June 17 – Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
June 18 – Hessentag Festival, Frankfurt, Germany
July 01 – Summer Festival, Ferrara, Italy
July 03 – Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
July 07 – Atlas Arena, Lodz, Poland
July 10 – Dalhalla, Rattvik, Sweden
July 13 – Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
July 15 – Festival De Carcassone, Carcassonne, France
July 17 – Sion Sous Les Etoiles, Sion, Switzerland
July 19 – Rockhal, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
July 20 – Rudolf-Weber-Arena, Oberhausen, Germany
JUDAS PRIEST have released their last studio album, “Invincible Shield” on March 8, 2024,
“Invincible Shield” track listing:
01. Panic Attack
02. The Serpent And The King
03. Invincible Shield
04. Devil In Disguise
05. Gates Of Hell
06. Crown Of Horns
07. As God Is My Witness
08. Trial By Fire
09. Escape From Reality
10. Sons Of Thunder
11. Giants In The Sky
Deluxe edition bonus tracks:
12. Fight Of Your Life
13. Vicious Circle
14. The Lodger
The cover artwork for the CD and vinyl versions of “Invincible Shield” can be found below.
To order “Invincible Shield”, visit shop.judaspriest.com.
Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Original guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.
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