Metal God Essentials - Premium Metal Accessories for Men & Women | Perfect for Gifts, Fashion & Rock Style

Rob Halford is an icon. There's no other way to describe him. His one of a kind voice, his outlandish stage presence, his courage in identifying himself, and the powerhouse that is Judas Priest make Rob one of the seminal figures in rock music for the past three decades.Yet for casual music fans, Rob's presence is held only to Judas Priest and classic albums like Screaming for Vengeance or British Steel. His work outside the band is giving short shrift unless you're a metal head or a deep fan. Which is why this 2 Cd and one DVD set is a treasure trove. I have to admit to not having the Fight material before this, and only the Live Insurrection Halford disc. (I do own Two's Voyeurs, oddly not included here.) What "Metal God Essentials" does is remind us just how creative Rob can be even without the JP brand behind him.There are plenty of great tracks here, including the terrific "War of Words" where Rob recites the Preamble to the Bill of Rights and then whips into one roaring song (lest we forget, he once had to sit in a court and defend himself from parents trying to blame heavy metal for their son's suicide) about freedom of speech and personal responsibility.A pair of new tracks appear here, "Forgotten Generation" and "Drop Out." The former is terrific (although remixed superfluously as a bonus cut). The second disc has more remixes and is - frankly - redundant. The DVD is interesting, in that you can see some of Halfdord (the man and the band) in the creative process. A lot of this has to do with Rob explaining why he formed his new bands. It's interesting to see that there's more to him than one would expect. The music vids are exactly what you would expect, however. Lot's of screaming fans, claustrophobic images, leather and uniforms. Of these, only the acoustic "In The Morning" offers anything out of the usual, and is the most interesting. (Why wasn't this a hit?) It has echoes of Angel of Retribution's "Angel," or Extreme's "More Than Words." Good stuff, all the way through.But the real reason I bought this was for the collectibilty. I have number 1205/5000 with the mini-card signed by Rob, which 100% justified the purchase for me. If you've gone as far as to look this up, you're probably a die-hard fan. Pony up the extra bills, or you'll probably wish you would have later.