Music documentaries are very good at providing a sociological picture of the time and place where the band got together. If a band gets famous enough to participate in its own obituary, their lives of success on the road tend to blur into This is Spinal Tap. If there were problems, all the participants are guaranteed to minimise as much as possible, unless it was caught on camera. Being a hagiographer instead of a biographer is the price you pay for getting access, and not that there’s anything wrong with that! But this means The Ballad of Judas Priest serves the same purpose as a celebrity biography written for children: a fuzzy parade of the headline facts and the greatest hits. That said, The Ballad of Judas Priest is worth watching for two reasons: its consideration of the position of black and gay people within the heavy metal scene of the 80s and 90s, and the interview with the late Ozzy Osbourne that will be probably be one of his last appearances anywhere.
For the original members of Judas Priest were also from Birmingham, where Black Sabbath innovated heavy metal about a week or so before they did. The band met as teenagers, largely through dating each other’s sisters, and became big in the UK before finding huge success in America. There’s extensive footage from 1986 documentary short Heavy Metal Parking Lot, filmed outside a Maryland stadium before one of their gigs, that shows just how much love their fans had for them. But their success did not come without a price. Lead singer Rob Halford was openly gay, but only in private. Despite how supportively the other band members talk about it, back then remaining in the closet was just an unfortunate fact of life. But the dishonesty had consequences which affected all of them, personally and professionally.
There are two credited directors of the film, Sam Dunn and Tom Morello, who is better known as a member of Rage Against the Machine. It’s clearly through his connections that he was able to arrange talking-head interviews with people such as Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, and actor-musician Jack Black, whose fanboy wilding out opens and closes the film. Mr Morello also convened a round table consisting of musicians Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC, Scott Ian of Anthrax, and himself discussing the importance of Judas Priest to everybody personally and the music scene generally. Mr. Morello and Mr. McDaniels were on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame judging team that voted in Judas Priest in 2022. The surprise that two black men working in different musical styles were two of Judas Priest’s biggest fans seems to have prompted the documentary. The roundtable’s funny anecdotes (though Mr. Corgan unsurprisingly talks too much) and the historical context work very well together. There’s also a good moment when Richie Faulkner, who joined the band in 2011 to replace K. K. Downing on guitar, cheerfully says he was hired for his timekeeping and tea-making skills as well as his talents as a musician.
But for all the hints of misbehaviour and the occasional showing off of the trappings of success, all the members of Judas Priest were from the working class. It seems like none of them have ever forgotten that their musical career is first and foremost a job. One in the public eye and that’s allowed them all a comfortable living, but a job all the same. The respect with which they treat their skills, their fans and each other is unusual in a group where all the former and current members are still alive. It’s really nice to see that even as their life trajectories have changed their fondness for each other seemingly hasn’t. And Mr. Osborne’s supportive commentary, which is also not a given from a so-called rival, manages to add a note of friendship and community that demonstrates what heavy metal gives its fans. Inside the angry clothes are kind and gentle people who use heavy metal to express their frustrations. Music fans of all ages can undoubtedly connect with that, and whether you’re a diehard fan or brand new to the scene The Ballad of Judas Priest will welcome you in.
The Ballad of Judas Priest recently played at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Learn more about the film at the IMDB site for the title.
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