The legacy and cultural impact of Judas Priest are taking center stage at the 76th Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) with the world premiere of the new documentary, “The Ballad Of Judas Priest.” Showcasing the band’s rise to heavy metal supremacy, the film was co-directed by documentarian Sam Dunn alongside Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, marking his directorial debut.
During a press conference for the premiere on Sunday, February 15, the conversation quickly turned to the social and political undercurrents of the band’s music.
When asked by a Spanish radio journalist about the political content within the film, Morello explained that the band’s mere presence and diverse audience are inherently political statements.
“What a time to be alive where you can both make a documentary about one of your favorite bands and fight fascism at the same time. But one of the things that while the lyrical content — maybe ‘Breaking The Law‘ and a few songs — are explicitly political in Judas Priest, the band’s existence is very political. When I’ve seen Judas Priest over the course of the last decade or so in Los Angeles, the audience is maybe more than 50% Latino. It’s a lot of gay couples — nothing that has anything to do with the stereotypical… And yes, there are some older dudes like myself and leather jackets proudly bringing their kids to the show as well, but that community and the unity and the harmony that exists at a Judas Priest show is in some ways a model for how we might all do better.”
Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford expanded on this, noting that he has always channeled his frustrations with the world into his songwriting.
“It’s been impossible for me as a lyricist to not avoid seeing things in the world that affect me, that get me pissed off and thinking, is there a way I can put this into a song?” Rob explained. “And I’ve been doing that forever, whether it was ‘Raw Deal‘ from ‘Sin After Sin‘, which was a really explicit gay song, going to Fire Island and trying to hook up with somebody and the freedom that that gives you as a person to be with your own people, to a song called ‘Savage‘, which is about climate change from the — what album was ‘Savage‘ on? Stained Class? So that’s a ways back. The last album [2024’s Invincible Shield], I talk about — I’m not gonna say his name, but I talk about that person, and it’s a bit of a smokescreen, but if you understand, if you really listen, the message is there, the expression, the feeling is there. And it’s a very difficult tight rope to walk because I just wanna give people a good time.”
Halford, who publicly came out as gay in 1998, admitted that balancing a powerful message with an entertaining live show is a delicate act. He praised Rage Against The Machine for mastering that dynamic before reflecting on his own growing sense of injustice.
“Rage Against The Machine gives people a great time. When you see everybody bouncing up and down, they’re lost. They’re in ecstasy, but the message isn’t lost on them. The message is probably more relevant when they’re home alone, lying in bed or sitting, having a coffee and listening to the music. That’s a whole different experience in the way the message can reach you. So, I really have to temper myself, because as I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten angrier with the world. I’ve gotten angrier with the injustice, particularly for my own people who are still suffering and are not given the human rights that they absolutely deserve. I’m not talking about Germany, — I’m talking about Saudi Arabia, Iran, other parts of the world where people like myself are just used and abused in horrible ways. So, I try my best to avoid that type of explicit message, but it’s there. It’s there. And that gives me some comfort that I’m not letting myself down consciously on subjects that mean a lot to me and piss me off.”
Co-director Sam Dunn added that examining the social relevance of the band was a major priority for the documentary. Specifically, he wanted to highlight the working-class struggles embedded in some of their biggest hits.
“For me, going into the film, there was probably four or five main moments I know we needed to hit in the story of this band. And one of them was the song ‘Breaking The Law‘ and the brilliant and fun video for ‘Breaking The Law‘. And the reason why that is is ’cause — this ties back to our first film, which is, I think, we’ve been on a journey to debunk stereotypes about heavy metal for over two decades now. And I think there still lingers that stereotype of heavy metal [that] it’s just about sex, drugs and hedonism and all of that. So a song like ‘Breaking The Law‘ was very important to illustrate that Judas Priest, in 1980, had something very important and timely to say about the lives of working class people in England at that time. And when I did the last interview with Rob and he said the line, ‘It’s a revolution song’ — thank you for delivering that line — that was a very important beat in the story for me.”
