HALFORD 'Metal God Essentials Vol.1' (Metal God Entertainment) RATING: 9/10

By JEFF MAKI

Every rock or metal fan knows Rob Halford is the lead singer of the legendary British metal band Judas Priest. And all should know he left Priest in 1991 and went on to several other projects before returning to the fold in 2003. Metal God Essentials Vol.1 serves as a best-of compilation and a great introduction for those unfamiliar with these other projects.

Initially after leaving Priest, Halford formed Fight, which released the popular album War of Words in 1993. Fight's sound was more Americanized than any of his work with Priest, along the lines of Pantera. Gone were the sometimes fantasy-driven lyrics of Priest. Driving guitar rhythms and dark, real world lyrical themes were this band's calling. War of Words is represented here with material from Fight's The War of Words Demos. You get the moshing anthem “Into the Pit,” the thrashy “Nailed to the Gun” and “War of Words,” which tackles the subject of freedom of speech. Fight only released one more album after this, A Small Deadly Space, in 1995. At least we get a chance to hear some alternate-demo versions from War of Words on this compilation, but why nothing from album No. 2?

After Fight, Halford had a little-known project called 2wo produced by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and released on Reznor's Nothing Records in 1997. And again, we get nothing here from this project. Sure, it was an industrial-type thing and doesn't fit into the “metal god” theme, but something would've been nice.

The bulk of this release, of course, comes from Halford's solo band, aptly named ... umm ... Halford. I'll admit I wasn't too familiar with this band, but after hearing the selected songs here, I am all but blown away. Halford allows Rob to embrace his stature of a “metal god” and he's not at all afraid to admit it; in fact, he proudly wears the crown. Sure, the lyrical nature can be a bit ridiculous at times. For christ's sake, take a look at the album cover. But this is who he is. The songs here come from Resurrection (2000), Live Insurrection (2001) and Crucible (2002). “Made in Hell” sees Halford telling the tale of how he came into heavy metal and his mission to spread the word around the world. “Golgotha” is a slower chugger of epic proportions, and the speed and intensity of the title track of Resurrection come close to rivaling the best Priest material. Yes, that's a strong statement, but hear it for yourself. Two new songs-- “Forgotten Generation” and “Drop Out"--included here are from the recording sessions of the upcoming Halford release Halford IV. Judging from these two tracks, the new album is one not to be missed.

A bonus DVD features behind the scenes material and, of course, music videos. I'm not too big on the whole DVD “extras” and stuff like that, but the inclusion of this definitely gives you more bang for your buck, so why not?

A good compilation or “greatest hits” album not only showcases the strongest material by an artist or band but also should make the listener want to go out and purchase the albums covered. Metal God Essentials Vol.1 does just that. It's a real eye-opener that Rob Halford has not only fronted one of the legendary metal bands for decades but also has created top-notch, essential heavy metal on his own. This collection is a strong statement of how important he is to the metal world. There will never be another Rob Halford, so as the album title suggests, it is essential that metal fans get their hands on this release and discover an era of his career that may be missing from your music collections. Yes, Halford truly is the metal god.

Tracklisting:

CD
1. Resurrection (Resurrection - 2000/2006)
2. Made In Hell (Resurrection - 2000/2006)
3. Screaming In The Dark (Live Insurrection - 2001/2006)
4. Golgotha (Crucible - 2002/2006)
5. Silent Screams - 1999 Demo (The Singles - 1999/2006)
6. Crystal (Crucible - 2002/2006)
7. Into The Pit (New K5 - 1992/2006)
8. Nailed To The Gun (New K5 - 1992 - 2006)
9. Slow Down (Resurrection - 2000/2006)
10. Locked And Loaded (Resurrection - 2000/2006)
11. Forgotten Generation (New - 2006)
12. Drop Out (New - 2006)
13. War Of Words (New K5 - 1992/2006)
14. Sun (Crucible - 2002/2006)
15. Trail Of Tears (Crucible - 2002/2006)
16. (Bonus) Hypocrisy U.S. Mix

Bonus-DVD
1. Resurrection - Behind the scenes
2. Live Insurrection - Behind the scenes
3. Made In Hell
4. Betrayal
5. In The Morning
6. Silent Screams
7. Never Satisfied
8. Forgotten Generation