when he had finished the first wave of that tsunami unleashed by sharp riffs, double centrifugal drums and exorbitant distortions, Rob Halford, vocalist of Judas Priestin the middle of its performance last Saturday in the Masters of Rockin Technopolis, suddenly it was only on stage. After sitting in a black rack box, on one of the sides of the tablo, he looked at the sky, muttered some things and extended his right hand up, as a sign of prayer or perhaps dedication. Then he took the microphone and said that every time he came to Argentina he felt at home, and that’s why he considered his fans as part of his family. What gave rise to refer to the metal community, which was always supportive, especially in the most complicated situations.
It happens that prior to the English legend show of the Heavy Metal, the organization of the festival went out to inform that Scorpions He was not going to be able to play, because his singer, Klaus Meine, suffered severe laryngitis. As much as possible, the band’s work team, also represented on stage, decided to cancel. Rarely, such a cumbersome situation was seen as that of that moment, at least in recent years: with the production of the event exposing themselves to the reaction of the public to point anywhere, while the followers of the group showed their disappointment. While some left the property, after the news, the heartbreaking polaroid gave her an older man who downloaded her helplessness whistling a bleak version of “Winds of change”, Mega Hit of the Germans.
To compensate for misfortune, the Masters of Rock spoke with the Birmingham group, to see if he was encouraged to extend his repertoire, to which he agreed. Not only was he in charge of the closure, but his intervention exceeded two hours. At 73, Halford behaved like a titan during his performancein which he blessed his musicians, played with the audience, showed an impeccable voice, entered trance and wore several cuts off. The recital also coincided with the 50 years of the group’s first album, Rock Rollato which the frontman referred. Although they did not touch anything from there, they rescued their rereading of “Diamonds and Rust”, original by Joan Báez and one of the themes they added at the last moment, next to “Metal Gods”, “Saints in Hell” and “Heading out to the highway.”
However, the group gave free rein to its repertoire by leaving no matter how much hung from its glorious past, so it started with the novel and explosive “Pannic attack”, from its recent album, Invincible Shield (2024), already then drew the classic “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin”, unleashing euphoria. Despite the 42 years that separate those songs, Judas Priest confirmed that his sound identity is still immaculate, which does not subtract his desire to innovate. And that patented him in “Crown of Horns”, which seconded the guitars in Spitfire attack mode of “Breaking the Law”; at the acute speed (like the leaf that appears on the album cover that contains it, British Steel) of “Rapid Fire”; and to the evil sound of “Love Bites.” They just lowered a change in the hard rock “riding on the wind.”
After the immense trident that hung on them was irrigated until it took a cross, and after paying Argentina with an image of Messi and the Pope (like the two most worldwide Argentines of this era), they touched “sins”, which with “Victim of Changes” became the longestion of the songbook. And they wielded them with their appropriation of “The Green Manalishi. This incarnation of the quintet, whose musicians appeared on the scene distributed on a ladder, covered before by a long curtain, again evidenced its effectiveness. Although in the bis they redoubled that power, thanks to stainless hymns such as “Electric Eye”, “Hell Bent for Leather” and the “Living After Midnight” groovero.
In the same area of the Villa Martelli property where the two main scenarios of Quilmes Rock were erected, those of this metal summit were installed, which was attended by 20 thousand people. So once one band ended, the other started. In the prelude to Judas Priest, another expected acts of the event was presented: Europe. This can attest the jokes on the “Carrie” ballad, which circulated in waiting; or the handful of women who cried when the vocalist broke out Joey Tempestowner of a charisma that added a lot, especially his fucking Buenos Aires. As much as he stopped carrying that undulating blonde that turned him into the Nordic God of Glam Metalhis musical star countenance is still intact. And for sample was his way of turning him and throwing the foot of the microphone up.
During his show time, the Swedish quintet alternated hits of the 80s and 90s, among which “Scream of Anger”, “Sign of the Times” and “On Broken Wings” stood out. And they were encouraged to nail a 2023 song: “Hold Your Head Up”, just before invoking the already mentioned “Carrie” and her “The Final Countdown”, whom not even the brave metalman had allergy. For the second guitar, they invited a musician who noticed that he grew up listening to that classic, the violero Fredrik Åkesson, of the Swedish progressive metal band Opeh, of great performance in the middle of the afternoon. In fact, they left the public served to some pioneers of the same genre, Queensrÿchewho dedicated themselves to reviewing their work by jewelry as “Operation: mindcrime”, “Empire”, “I Don’t Believe in Love” and the Great Metal Ballad “Silent Lucidity”.
Another legend that liked and returned home cheered was Savatage. After his return to the stage, in 2014, he continues to go through a great musical moment. And that was reflected in the songs “Jesus Save”, “The Wake of Magellan”, “Edge of Thorns!” and “Believe”, which became the emotional moment of the day because he had one of the founders the American band, Jon Oliva, touching the piano on the screens (he could not come because in 2024 he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis). The Masters of Rock opened its doors at noon on Saturday, and also served as a showcase to the Argentine metal scene, hosting the presentations of the Against bands, between the sky and the hell and the veterans. It was a demonstration that the chachitos still resist, despite the passage of time.
