It’s now an impossibility, but Rob Halford of Judas Priest has shared his dream of forming a UK ‘Big Four’ with Black Sabbath, Motörhead, and Iron Maiden.
For fans of thrash metal, the concept of the ‘Big Four’ is well-established. Consisting of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, these are the big four artists that defined the genre and helped put thrash metal on the map.
While these four acts finally hit the same stage in 2010 as part of the Sonisphere Festival, it turns out that such a concept inspired the frontman of one of the UK’s most famous metal bands, with Rob Halford of Judas Priest getting a few ideas.
Now, in a new interview with Heavy Consequence, Halford has explained how he once had big dreams for a similar lineup in his home country.
“My dream had always been to have like ‘The Big 4 of the UK’, without turning this into a kind of depressing way,” Halford explained.
“I’d always dreamed of Black Sabbath and Motörhead and Priest and Maiden as ‘The Big 4’ doing something in the UK.”
Check out ‘Breaking The Law’ by Judas Priest:
Of course, with Black Sabbath having packed it in back in 2017, and the death of Lemmy Kilmister spelling the end of Motörhead in 2015, Halford admits that the idea will never take place like he had hoped.
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“Sadly, two-fourths of that has gone, but the music lives forever,” he explained. “That’s the main thing.”
Despite this, Rob Halford expressed his desire for Judas Priest to hit the road with Iron Maiden at some point, despite the two acts having once shared a rivalry of sorts many decades ago.
“I think both bands would look to do that,” Halford explained. “It’s all about the timing of doing such a thing. We’re good friends.”
“I think both bands have admired each other throughout the metal years, and it would be a spectacular event — Priest and Iron Maiden together.”
In related news, Iron Maiden recently announced their return to Australian shores for the first time since 2016. Bringing Killswitch Engage along for the ride, these shows are undoubtedly going to be some of the wildest we see in all of 2020.
While we might never get to see the likes of Iron Maiden performing alongside Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Motörhead, we can only begin to imagine how amazing such a lineup would have been.
Check out ‘The Trooper’ by Iron Maiden:
Iron Maiden – The Legacy Of The Beast Tour Australia 2020:
With special guests Killswitch Engage.
Friday, May 1st, 2020
RAC Arena, Perth, WA
Sunday, May 3rd, 2020
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, SA
Tuesday, May 5th, 2020
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, QLD
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, NSW
Monday, May 11th, 2020
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets on sale from 12pm on Thursday, November 14th through Ticketek
Sign up to the Iron Maiden Fan Club for exclusive pre-sale access
Telstra Plus members pre-sale begins at 1pm on Monday, November 11th and runs 48 hours until Wednesday, November 13th
