Judas Priest

Slipping past the weather forecast apps, the long-awaited yet dreaded Roman thunderstorm can hold off a little longer, after months of extreme heat in this summer upended by climate change. Wednesday 9 September is safe, as thousands of black T-shirts bearing the legendary Judas Priest logo stroll calmly toward the ticket checks of the ever-fascinating Cavea at the Auditorium Parco della Musica. Impeccably organized by Milan-based promoter MC2 LIVE, Rob Halford's band's return to the Capital comes nearly fifteen years after their last live appearance here, turning the usually composed Cavea into a seething mass of gleaming metal.

At around 8pm it's the turn of Nevermore — or Nevermore 2.0, as longtime guitarist Jeff Loomis pointed out after the band's 2024 reunion — effectively a different incarnation of the storied American outfit following the late Warrel Dane's death. There's accordingly great curiosity among fans to see the towering Turkish singer Berzan Önen in action, recruited by Loomis after hundreds of auditions. With a long, greying beard and arms that could take on a polar bear, Önen has the great merit of not trying to imitate Dane — indeed, he pays tribute to him, waving a black flag more than once during a monstrously solid set.
Opened by the thrash fury of "Narcosynthesis", the Nevermore show is a concentrate of adrenaline and fun, setting off wild pits in the crowd from the very first notes in a standing-only venue. From the dark melody of "My Acid Words" — with the drumming of fellow longtime member Van Williams on full display — to the grunge echo of the power ballad "The River Dragon Has Come", the band carries the audience along and proves to be in excellent shape, helped also by new guitarist Jack Cattoi. The set flows by enjoyably right through to the explosive close with the devastating "Enemies Of Reality", its chorus sung by the whole Cavea.

At around 8:45pm there's roughly half an hour to refill on beer, while the stage change opens the way for the obvious highlight of the evening. A roar greets the triumphant entrance of Rob Halford, the metal god with his greying beard, studs and seasoned biker's sunglasses. The Roman crowd sings at the top of their lungs the lyrics to Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", chosen to open the Birmingham band's tour, before launching full throttle into the anthemic hard'n'roll of "You've Got Another Thing Coming".
The English "Metal Gods" deliver a solid, no-frills set, leaving only part of the spectacle to the video footage behind the kit of the excellent Scott Travis.

The granite riff of “Breaking The Law” unleashes the crowd's wildest enthusiasm, as Halford roams the stage between guitarists, almost as if conducting one of heavy metal's great historic orchestras. On “The Ripper”, epic desolation is carried along by the formidable work of the two guitarists, Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap. Obviously Halford can no longer launch into his memorable high notes, but the show immediately feels enjoyable and tremendously fun.
The road-song “Desert Plains” rolls by with total ease, the asphalt burning under the galloping rhythm section, with Ian Hill stationed almost off to the side, grinding out bass lines. From the fury of “Lightning Strike” to the synthetic “Turbo Lover”, the Judas Priest show takes flight, mixing classic tracks with more recent compositions like the pounding, obsessive “Panic Attack”. The chorus of “No Surrender” sets off all the energy of the Roman crowd, before “Painkiller” takes the stage, still capable of sending chills with its now-iconic blend of brutal aggression and near-symphonic phrasing. Halford rests his ear against Faulkner's dazzling guitar, while Travis sweats profusely, pounding his drums like a man possessed.

The set reaches its climax, before resuming after a few minutes with a three-song encore. It's the long-awaited moment for the motorcycle to roll out on stage, during a thunderous “Hell Bent For Leather” and a triumphant “Living After Midnight” that gets everyone dancing and singing along. The choral finale is truly the perfect way to close a show that admittedly shows its age, for a band that's by now the stuff of legend. But Judas Priest couldn't care less about that, treating Rome to a tremendously exciting night.

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