Judas Priest/NY,USA 3.11.1979

The “Wolfgang’s Vault” sound source series has become the eye of the storm among rock enthusiasts, with a succession of amazing official-grade soundboards centered around THE ROLLING STONES. This time, a must-listen for fans is a must-have release! When it comes to OZZY Osbourne and SCORPIONS, the name naturally brings to mind JUDAS PRIEST! The “god of steel” that metal fans revere has finally descended upon the “Wolfgang’s Vault” sound source series! This work, which records the New York performance on March 11, 1979 in its true form with official-grade sound, is sure to become a new staple that will reign as a collector’s item for PRIEST! For PRIEST, this “KILLING MACHINE” and the 1979 tour were important turning points in the band’s history. The album clearly created a “music different from conventional hard rock”, and their trademark “leather and studs” appeared in their stage performance. Both styles made fans intuitively realize that “this is different from previous bands”. It was a time when IRON MAIDEN was rushing to the forefront and Ozzy Osbourne was searching for his solo debut. PRIEST was leading the way in this “season of change” and was reincarnating from “excellent rock band” to “metal god”. This “Hell Bent for Leather” tour began with a London performance on October 23, 1978 and ended with a performance in Nice, France on December 15, 1979, with 125 live performances. Of these, the line sound source is known from the Seattle performance on October 17, 1979 and the New York “The Palladium” performance on November 4, but all of them were FM sound sources and could not be called “official grade”. Although it is an important period not only in the history of bands but also in the history of music, PRIEST’s 1979 live recording is, frankly, “one step away”. When I write this, fans will say “There is actually an official one”, and point to “UNLEASHED IN THE EAST”. However, that is also a pitfall. As fans know, this official live is synonymous with “live albums made in studios” in which Rob’s vocals are completely replaced. In this situation, the wish of fans who have been looking for “official live recordings that capture the truth of the show” in the true sense of the word has finally come true! The newly excavated recording this time is from the 1979 world tour that JUDAS PRIEST performed after the release of “KILLING MACHINE”, and was recorded at the “Mudd Club” in New York on March 11th (this live performance had not been known to have an audience recording until now). The North American tour in the spring of 1979 was performed jointly with UFO and others, so the performance time was short. But the performance is full of energy and passion, and can only be described as spectacular. You can experience the fact that PRIEST was so amazing at that time, as it was, with the best sound! Let’s play the disc right away. At the beginning, you can see the pre-show scene, the sound check, which is carried out in a surprisingly calm mood. However, the dramatic intro of “Hell Bent For Leather” breaks through this silence! If you are a fan, you will definitely get your “rock spirit” ignited at this moment! Ian Hill and Les Bings’ rhythm is British and craftsman-like, and here it is like ’70s hard rock. However, the aggressive guitar and vocals are clearly metal! K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton’s guitars pop out from the left and right channels, and Rob’s performance that breaks through the space with his superhuman vocals will overwhelm any listener! All of these sounds approach with the highest level of clarity, brightness, and irresistible texture. You can almost picture the young PRIEST dressed in studs and leather, the “formal attire of metal,” dancing across the stage! The song selection was also perfect, with the outstandingly grooved “Delivering The Goods” and “Running Wild,” and the majestic and dramatic “Beyond The Realms Of Death.” FLEETWOOD MAC’s original “The Green Manalishi” was bluesy, but when they played it, it was a dignified metal! The climax of the live was “Victim Of Changes”! This song, which played an important part in the official live, is one of the biggest listening points of this work and knocks out the listeners. The contrast between the heavy and profound main part and the melodic development in the second half is also vivid. The end of the live changed gears again. The live ended with the groovy “Rock Forever” and “Starbreaker” being played in succession, and the live ended with the cheers of the fans! The recording time is just under 42 minutes, but the content captures the heavy and cutting-edge PRIEST live performance in its true form with sound quality comparable to “UNLEASEHED IN THE EAST”, and has value and significance that was not available in previous live recordings from the same period! This work will surely be respected by fans as a classic for a long time to come. This definitive sound source, which is noteworthy in the history of heavy metal, will be released as a long-awaited permanent edition and limited press CD! Please witness the moment when hard rock turns into metal with this work! Live at Mudd Club, New York City, New York, USA 11th March 1979 STEREO SBD 1. Intro 2. Hell Bent For Leather 3. Delivering The Goods 4. Running Wild 5. Beyond The Realms Of Death 6. The Green Manalishi 7. Victim Of Changes 8. Rock Forever 9. Starbreaker Rob Halford – Vocals K.K. Downing – Guitars Glenn Tipton – Guitars Ian Hill – s Les Binks – Drums Judas STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING