Former Judas Priest frontman, Rob Halford, a restless singer who speaks of his artistic journey like a heroic quest of self-discovery, has begun anew.
After over twenty years, and two distinct bands on his résumé (Judas Priest and Fight), Halford’s intention of breaking away from the restraints
of the Heavy Metal genre has lead the outspoken Englishman to his latest project, the band Two, and its debut album Voyeurs (under the creative
collaboration of producer Trent Reznor).
NY Rock:
Let's just lay the ground work for a second. 1995 – Fight was one of the best bands out there. What happened?
Rob Halford of Two:
I don't hear that a lot. [Laughs.] That makes me feel good, 'cause that's part of the journey from there till now. When I put Fight together, I wanted
to maintain the momentum. I didn't want to kinda disappear for five years and then come back. I was just so ready to break away from where I was
before and just start the journey. To just fulfill and realize these dreams that I carry in my head.
NY Rock:
So how soon after Fight did Two come about? Was it something that you were consciously developing or was it just something that sort of happened?
Rob Halford of Two:
It was just synchronicity at work, I think. I was at the Foundation Forum a few years back and a journalist friend of mine told me about John Lowery,
the guitar player. John and I got in touch. We spent a few days together in Los Angeles and we started to just sit around with some guitars and write.
It's as simple as that. The beginning was very uncluttered, very unspecific, very kinda "let's just write some tunes," you know.
NY Rock:
When you're writing, do you ever say to yourself, "yeah, that's good, but it's too much like Priest. I can't use it"?
Rob Halford of Two:
No, I rarely write by myself. I was writing with people that particularly didn't have a feeling for that kind of music. Both [original producer] Bob
[Marlette] and John [Lowery] don't really come from that kind of background. They're more broad-minded open musicians [who] just jump from one song to
another. And that's how the music of Two is perceived. It's like, if you pull out one song by itself – think of something that's pretty extreme,
[the pop-tinged] "Deep in the Ground" – that's not what Two is about. That's just one fraction. Because after "Ground," you've got [the caustic]
"Stutter Kiss," and [the Metal-esque] "Leave me Alone," and [the NIN] "Bed of Rust." It's going all over the place. So I think everybody's excited
about a band doing this kind of very undisciplined throwing things out there, as long as they're working, you know, as long as it sounds good.
NY Rock:
How did Trent and Nothing records become involved?
Rob Halford of Two:
It was pure coincidence. I was in New Orleans at Mardi Gras a couple of years ago with some friends. I pointed out Trent's studio and I just knocked
on the door... as simple as that.
NY Rock:
I hear he's a huge '80s Metal fan.
Rob Halford of Two:
I thought he had a dislike of Heavy Metal. I've been saying to people that Trent hates Metal and I've actually been saying the wrong thing. See, I
don't know Trent on a personal level; I only know him as a musician.
We just clicked musically… when he called me up after listening to the demo, a few months later, he said, "Do you want a record deal?" I was like,
"Ahhh... yeah... that would be great." But I couldn't understand why? And then he told me that he had been listening to the music and he had a vision.
He could hear them in a different way. And could we take them and break them down and build them up again, with his interpretation?
NY Rock:
There was some critical back-lash against David Bowie when Reznor produced him. Trent's got a very distinct musical identity, whether he's producing
Marilyn Manson or Prick. Were you ever concerned that his influence might be a bit too much for what you were doing?
edit on 12-7-2015 by
Egoismyname because: (no reason given)