AL ATKINS' HOLY RAGE Schedules More Dates
February 21, 2009HOLY RAGE (pictured below),the new band fronted by original JUDAS PRIEST singer Al Atkins, has scheduled the following dates:
Feb. 22 - JB's - Dudley, Midlands, UK
Mar. 29 - Takaroo - Cannock, UK
Apr. 30 - Robin 2 - Bilston, West Midlands, UK
May 31 - [to be announced] - New York, NY
Jun. 21 - Rock of Ages festival - Swansea, Wales
Commented Al: "So here it is. It's been a long time coming but we are ready to hit the road again at long last. We have been very busy rehearsing our live set list with our new incredible drummer Mick Hales and writing new material too. We play our local favorite night club JB's in Dudley, UK tomorrow night (February 22) to kick things off and then we hit the studios next week to record some new songs of mine. Next month we play The Takeroo night club at Cannock followed by the The Robin 2 appearing with southern rock band SKINNY MOLLY (ex-LYNYRD SKYNYRD). In May we head across the pond again for four gigs in New York and later in the summer we have two festivals lined up. When more gigs are confirmed, we will keep you all updated. See you all on the road."
JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill has penned the foreword to Al Atkins's autobiography, titled "Dawn of the Metal Gods: My Life in Judas Priest and Heavy Metal". The book, which was was written with Neil Daniels — a freelance rock writer and heavy metal fan who befriended Atkins during the writing of Neil's book "The Story of Judas Priest: Defenders of the Faith" (Omnibus Press) — will be released this spring via Iron Pages.
Commented Atkins: "The book is gonna look fantastic! There'll be some really cool photos and shots of vintage PRIEST memorabilia that I'm confident is very rare, like a picture of the first-ever JUDAS PRIEST recording.
"The book will feature contributions from:
* Bruno Stapenhill (JUDAS PRIEST Mark I)
* Ernie Chataway (JUDAS PRIEST Mark I)
* John Ellis (JUDAS PRIEST Mark II)
* Trevor Lunn (ex-JUDAS PRIEST roadie)
* David Howells (Gull Records)
* Dave Corke (ex-JUDAS PRIEST manager 1970-'76)
* Norman Hood (IMA Agency)
Atkins added: "Obviously it's not all about PRIEST: I'll tell you about my old band LION, my travels around Europe and my solo career right up to my latest band THE HOLY RAGE. And that's not all because some of my good friends and people I admire have also contributed like Dennis Stratton, Paul Di'Anno, Jess Cox, Brian Tatler, Johnny Lokke, Graham Bonnet, Taz Taylor and Simon Lees."
Atkins is the co-writer of several PRIEST songs which are included on the band’s first two albums "Rocka Rolla' and "Sad Wings of Destiny", both of which eventually went gold. Atkins co-penned the heavy metal classic "Victim of Changes" which was a combination of Rob Halford's song "Red Light Lady" and Atkins' own "Whiskey Woman". He also co-wrote "Winter", "Never Satisfied", "Dreamer Deceiver" and "Caviar and Meths".
In 1989 Atkins released his debut solo album "Judgement Day" to great acclaim. But it was "Heavy Thoughts" and "Victim of Changes" (the latter being his collaborative album with ex-JUDAS PRIEST drummer Dave Holland) that brought him strong sales and critical acclaim around the world. Recently Atkins has formed THE HOLY RAGE and has shared the bill with ex-RAINBOW singer Graham Bonnet in California.
In "Dawn of the Metal Gods", Atkins shares his entertaining life story with the reader. This is not just a book for JUDAS PRIEST fans but a bible for all those wishing to form a band in the tumultuous world of heavy metal.
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