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After storming the world for nearly 40 years and taking its very special brand of heavy metal to all four corners of the planet, JUDAS PRIEST — one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time — has announced plans to embark on a final world tour. However, the mighty PRIEST will certainly be going out strong as it rocks the planet starting in 2011 on the massive "Epitaph" trek — hitting all the major cities throughout the world where it will play the songs that helped make the name JUDAS PRIEST synonymous with heavy metal.

With all guns blazing and amps cranked to eleven, the band will be giving all its fans one last chance to witness the ultimate metal experience that is JUDAS PRIEST!

JUDAS PRIEST will be starting its world tour in Europe and has just confirmed the following festivals for 2011:

Jun. 09 - Sweden Rock Festival, Sφlvesborg, Sweden
Jun. 11 - Sauna Open Air, Tampere, Finland
Jun. 17 - Copenhell, Copenhagen, Denmark
Jun. 19 - Hellfest, Clisson, France
Jun. 22 - Gods of Metal, Milan, Italy
Jun. 25 - Graspop Metal Meeting, Dessel, Belgium
Jul. 23 - High Voltage, London, UK
Aug. 05 - Wacken Open Air, Wacken, Germany

JUDAS PRIEST was honored in the "Best Metal Performance" category at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, which was held on January 31, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. PRIEST was nominated for the track "Dissident Aggressor", from the band's 2009 live album "A Touch of Evil: Live". Singer Rob Halford and the band's drummer, Scott Travis, accepted the award at the event.

In his acceptance speech, Halford said, "The fifth time is the charm," referring to the fact PRIEST had been nominated four previous times and gone home without the award every time. He mentioned that PRIEST have been making metal for 35 years and that they still love what they do. He also remembered to thank all the radio stations and press that have supported the band, and he dedicated the award to all heavy metal fans.

In a 2008 interview JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill stated about being part of a band that has defined a genre and spawned countless imitators, "We are very proud of what we have achieved. When I formed this band way back in 1970 I had no grand plan. K.K. Downing [guitar] and I were just mates from school that wanted to play some music. We have a great family among us and like family we have our good and bad days, but without sounding nostalgic, yeah, it's pretty cool what we have achieved."

JUDAS PRIEST's most recent double-disc concept album, "Nostradamus", sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. This marked the band's highest-ever chart position in the U.S. In Canada, the CD opened at position No. 9 after shifting close to 4,000 units.

JUDAS PRIEST's previous studio CD, "Angel of Retribution", premiered with 58,000 copies in the U.S. back in March 2005 to debut at No. 13.

When asked about the varied reaction from JUDAS PRIEST fans to "Nostradamus", Halford stated in a 2008 interview, "The reaction has been very kind of mixed and diverse — very passionate responses. There are some PRIEST fans that only want 'Painkiller', 'Painkiller', 'Painkiller', which is fine. If you want to listen to 'Painkiller', throw it in your CD player. But I think, in terms of achievement, this is something we've always wanted to do. We've often talked about making a concept record, but it took until now to personally have the strong structure of an idea — in Nostradamus — and secondly have enough time to disappear into the recording/writing realm through almost a two-year period. But it's done now, and we feel very satisfied — we're proud of what we've achieved — and it's out there around the world settling into the psyche of everyone. My gut feeling tells me that in two, three, five years from now, the light will go on and people will go, 'Oh yeah. I've got it. I understand what this is all about now.' We're all about music. Some of it is instant; some of it takes awhile [to connect with the listener] . That's the joy of listening to music in all the ways that we do."

JUDAS PRIEST's "A Touch of Evil: Live" live album sold around 5,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 87 on The Billboard 200 chart.

PRIEST chose 10 songs not previously released in live album form for "A Touch of Evil: Live", which was released in July 2009, in the midst of the band's U.S. summer tour.

"A Touch of Evil" included live renderings of longtime fan favorites such as "Painkiller", "Dissident Aggressor", "Riding on the Wind", "Between the Hammer & the Anvil" and "Eat Me Alive", as well as "Hellrider" from "Angel of Retribution", the group's 2004 reunion album with frontman Rob Halford, and two tracks — "Death" and "Prophecy" — from 2008's rock opera "Nostradamus".

Recorded by Martin Walker and Brian Thorene during JUDAS PRIEST's mammoth 2005 and 2008 world tours, "A Touch Of Evil: Live" marked the first PRIEST album that producer Tom Allom has worked on since 1988 (co-producing along with the band). It was such Allom-produced albums as "Unleashed In The East", as well as "British Steel" and "Screaming For Vengeance" (among others) that made PRIEST not only one of the premier metal acts, but one of the leading global rock acts.

First the scorpions now this.

Nostradamus was, easily, the worst album of their career.

Christ, I'd rather listen to Turbo twice than suffer through that abomination again.

I was no big fan of Rob's return album, let alone Nostradamus. Frankly, they should have called it quits after Painkiller, the last Judas Priest album with any worthwhile music.

I lose all credibility as soon as i say i kinda liked Turbo, so i cannot comment in this thread.

Turbo wasn't the worst, but it was the first.

(Though, honestly, it's sort of grown on me for some reason. Not anywhere near their best, but it's at least listenable.)

British Steel is still my favorite Priest album following by Screaming For Vengeance as my second favorite.

I still have to go with Stained Class as my favorite. Simply perfect from beginning to end. Then my second favorite would be either Sad Wings of Destiny or Hell Bent For Leather.

Gawd dammit.Judas Priest have not played Kansas City since 1990(or 91..i forget).If they don't come here on their "farewell" tour,than good riddance to 'em.

My favorites are Sad Wings of Destiny and Painkiller.

Defenders and Painkiller are easily my 2 faves.

Never seen 'em live, never been more than a casual fan, but I wouldn't mind seeing them play if they're calling it quits.

I saw Priest play at Ozzfest in 2004 and they were scary-good. Better than they had a right to be! And their performance on VH1 Rock Honors in 2006 was just as good.

But Painkiller is the last album I listen to. Nostradamus was just awful.

I'm glad that I got to see them this year with DT on their tour. I went for DT but enjoyed hearing them as well.

So no new studio album before it's over??

Really???

They're going to let Nostradamus be their final studio album? Wow, talk about a crappy way to go out...

Uh, that's Iron Maiden that toured with Dream Theater this year.

Who knows if they can even crank out an album worth listening to anymore?

Actually I thought they were returning to from with Angel of Retribution. It wasn't as good as Painkiller, but much better than the Ripper Owens albums. But after Nostradamus I lost all hope.

Angel of Retribution was pretty meh for me as well.

I'm not really a fan (I like a few of their better known tracks) but my other half is a huge fan of theirs and likes most everything they did with Halford. Was Nostradamus really THAT bad (I've actually never heard it) or were people not willing to accept something out of left-field from a veteran act like that? Let's not forget how much metal-heads hate when their heroes try something different, just look at Alice Cooper's early 80's work or Kiss' Dynasty or The Elder.

I actually liked the Ripper albums more than Angel of Retribution and Nostradamus.

I loved Angel of Retribution. Yeah, "Loch Ness," was awful - and a total precursor to Nostradamus - but the rest of the album was good.

I was hoping for one more album like that.

And, nothingfails - it's not so much that Nostradamus was different or out of left field, it's reviled more because the songwriting is poor and the production values suck (lots of keyboards, guitars buried in the mix sometimes, bad guitar tones). It's just a cholesterol heart bomb - LOADED with CHEESE.

Also, it doesn't rock.

This is probably the way i'd go. Haven't heard Nostradomus. Because of the controversy surrounding it, I haven't bothered to buy it or listen to any of the tracks from other sources.

As for Priest retiring ( I said this with the Scorpions too ) there comes a time when you just have to hang it up. I'm sure they're all independently wealthy and they're all getting up there in age. So why not? Let them enjoy the rest of their lives where they don't have to do a damn thing and enjoy what they've made. They've earned it.
Now does that mean Rob's retiring the Halford band too?