Rocks Off: What was the social climate in England at the time of British Steel? We've heard many people calling it a punk record in spirit but firmly metal in sound... Rob Halford: Many people have different perceptions of what British Steel represents. The big thing for us of course is that it's been a very successful release. It pushed us ahead in terms of recognition amongst the rest of metal. To be honest, we didn't have much time to think about it. A good portion of British Steel was made on the fly, so to speak. We were literally making a record once a year for ten years. So, really we were just writing very spontaneously. Even though we have always been aware of what has gone on around us musically, I don't think we have really ever taken those things as direct inspiration. We have always been very much with our ears to the ground. It's valuable. I think maybe the two tracks that have an edgy, thrashy punk vibe are "Rapid Fire" and the closing track "Steeler." RO: Out of all the singles pulled off of British Steel, we have always loved "United." RH: Oh yeah! Musically it's all over the place. The inspiration for "United" was the atmosphere of the UK at the time. There was a lot of unhappiness and friction going on between the government and the miners and the steelworkers. So, that's where I got this feeling. They kept saying "We're going to be united against [Prime Minister] Thatcher!" It's a great song and then and now, it's about being united in metal. It's just a rallying cry for all the metalheads around the world just to be who you are, and stick with what you believe and love your metal and live it together. RO: When Judas Priest looks back at the metal scene now, how do you guys feel? You guys and Black Sabbath are some of the last ones left... RH: You feel very connected. Some kids in the audience have never seen Priest before. It certainly gives you a feeling of pride, because you know there is so much talent in the metal scene now and for young metalheads to latch on to Priest is a very cool thing to do. It shows a lot of smarts, quite frankly, and if I do say so myself, we are a great metal band. You would normally associate a young metalheads choice with a band of their own generation, and it's a real privilege to have someone turn on to Priest.