The last time I had seen Judas Priest indoors was 21 years ago, when they had reunited with Rob Halford and were touring in support of Angel Of Retribution. After that, there were several appearances at summer festivals in Greece, so seeing them return to a smaller indoor venue, under better conditions for the now 75-year-old Metal God, was bound to be interesting.
Forest National is a venue with a capacity ranging from 2,500 to 8,400 people. Besides concerts, it also hosts sporting events. Operating since 1970, it is one of Belgium’s most historic venues.
For the last seven shows of Priest’s Faith Keepers tour, the support act has been Nevermore, featuring original members Jeff Loomis and Van Williams, who have returned after a long absence and, of course, following the death of Warrel Dane in 2017. Their comeback has been accompanied by plenty of negative comments, understandably so. Taking over vocal duties is Turkish vocal coach Berzan Önen, with Semir Özerkan, a member of Oceans Of Slumber, on bass, and Jack Catoi on second guitar.
They opened with “Narcosynthesis”, from the excellent Dead Heart In A Dead World, an album they would honour with three more songs during the set. I have to admit that I am not Nevermore’s biggest fan, but I can certainly understand the feelings of those who remain skeptical about seeing the band without Warrel Dane, as well as those who have reservations following the situation with Jim Sheppard, who initially appeared to make it clear that he did not approve of the move. However, I have to admit that Önen was very good in his delivery of the songs. Restrained in his movements and not particularly expressive, with a large beard and a hat that made it difficult to see his face, he seemed to put more emphasis on his vocal performance than on his stage presence. Another thing you simply could not ignore was his impressive physique, reminiscent of a bodybuilder. Jeff Loomis was going absolutely berserk on guitar, while Özerkan, with an imposing presence, prowled across the stage. Williams’ drums did not sound as good as they could have, at least from where I was standing. There was a noticeable echo that made things slightly muddled and tiring on the ears. Still, plenty of people in the audience were singing along to every single word. In a few months, Nevermore will also be coming to our country as a headlining act, so we will have the opportunity to draw our own conclusions then.
And now for the main course: Judas Priest, playing the penultimate show of the Faith Keepers tour, with what was essentially a 90-minute best-of set, featuring songs from almost every album — and there are certainly plenty of those to choose from when you have a career spanning more than five decades.
They kicked things off with “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”, with the crowd going absolutely wild as the band took the stage. The stage setup is relatively minimalistic, yet impressive. Scott Travis is elevated at the back of the stage, as usual, while numerous projectors and screens display graphics and videos related to each song. Sometimes they feature the artwork of the corresponding album. For example, during “Turbo Lover”, you can see an animated version of the album cover, while during “Metal Gods”, the screens fill with little figures walking in exactly the same manner as the Metal God himself. And, of course, towards the end, Halford rides out on the motorcycle for “Hell Bent For Leather”. The lasers are equally impressive, with colourful beams cutting through the air and creating various formations across the venue.
There were some pleasant surprises in the setlist, including “The Ripper”, “Delivering The Goods”, “Desert Plains” and “Steeler”, while I certainly did not expect “Touch Of Evil” to be left out. I would have loved to hear something from Angel Of Retribution, but when you have to condense a 50-year career into 90 minutes, whatever you leave out can arguably be considered an omission. There were chills and genuine emotion during “Victim Of Changes”, followed by crowd surfing during “Painkiller”, which once again appeared towards the end of the set. Rob Halford always finds a way to be astonishing and send shivers down your spine. And in case you were wondering, Ian Hill did not move from his spot… apart from the beginning, when he stood shoulder to shoulder with Halford, Faulkner and Sneap at the centre of the stage.
The Belgian audience, made up of people of different ages and musical backgrounds — I even spotted a Rotting Christ T-shirt at one point — was out in force: battle-hardened metal vests covered in patches, two impressive guys wearing military-style caps, and fifty-somethings who had come along as families. They responded to the British metal onslaught with singing, screams and relentless headbanging, much to the delight of the Metal God, who never stopped encouraging them to make even more noise.
Priest will be back. “We always come back,” Halford says shortly before leaving the stage for the final time. Honestly, whenever you see bands of this magnitude, there is always a thought somewhere in the back of your mind that this could be the last time. Who could have imagined that just a few hours later, Ian Hill would miss the first concert of his entire career with Priest…
Get well soon, and hopefully back on stage quickly, especially since the first shows for 2027 have already been announced.
Yiannis Dolas
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, Metal Gods, Breaking the Law, The Ripper,The Sentinel, Desert Plains, Lightning Strike, Turbo Lover, Steeler, Delivering the Goods, Panic Attack, Victim of Changes, No Surrender, Painkiller
Encore: The Hellion, Electric Eye, Hell Bent for Leather, Living After Midnight
