The Communique

Issue date: 10/13/05 Section: A&E

Media Credit: photo courtesy of www.judaspriest.com Metal vets Judas Priest took the stage at The Mark in Moline on Oct. 2. The band is on tour in support of their 2004 release Angel of Retribution

MOLINE, Ill. - How appropriate it was that a massive, steel scaffold dominated the stage at The Mark.

With Judas Priest, everything is metal.

The lights went down as the dual lead guitar attack of K.K. Dowling and Glenn Tipton roared to life with perennial Priest opener "Electric Eye." A red laser beam shown through the backdrop - a giant eye - as lead singer Rob Halford stepped out from the pupil to raised fists, devil's horns and cheers.

Halford, whose get-up changed often but always had the indelible mark of studded leather, screamed out the vocals in his trademark style - often hunching forward for what appeared to be that extra bit of lung power.

After splitting up for a majority of the 90s, Priest has come back to the road with a reunited lineup.

The propagators of heavy metal played for a small but rabid audience of about 4,000 at The Mark of the Quad Cities in Moline, Ill. on Oct. 2.

The metal vets began their current world tour over a year ago at Ozzfest in support of their first studio release in 15 years, "Angel of Retribution." They added the Moline date as the tour expanded.

Opener Anthrax, also reunited after years of hiatus, thanked the crowd for keeping metal alive and relished sharing the stage with Priest.

Priest's set included tracks from the new album, such as "Judas Rising," but also included many tried and true classics including "Painkiller" and "A Touch of Evil."

Priest demonstrated the tactical heavy metal skill and aplomb that comes with over 30 years of experience. Instead of thrashing about wildly like animals possessed, Priest's showmanship consisted of blistering guitar solos, Halford's stalking the steel scaffolding and drummer Scott Travis' perfectly-timed twirling and tossing of drum sticks high in the air.

In a stunning display of metal harmony, Halford, Tipton, Dowling and bassist Ian Hill huddled together at center stage and played each other's guitars for the opening riff of "Breaking the Law." A disco ball lit up The Mark for "Beyond the Realms of Death." The show closed out with Halford riding a motorcycle on stage and leading the crowd in "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Priest reaffirmed its spot as metal gods for concertgoers, who left muffled-eared and talking loudly to compensate. How fitting that the show was on a Sunday, as the under-sized, but fanatical audience made for a memorable night with the Priest at the altar of metal.

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