In a recent tweet, William DuVall of Alice In Chains has once again expressed admiration for Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, dubbing him the ‘undisputed Metal God.’
DuVall shared a photo on Twitter of a chance meeting with Halford in an elevator, stating it was a ‘wonderful surprise’ running across his Metal God:
“What a wonderful surprise to run into the great Rob Halford in the elevator on my way out of the hotel to the gig today. Rob remains the undisputed Metal God out here, killing the game. Such an inspiration. Always great to see him.”
The two musicians’ history of mutual respect dates back to at least 2018, when Alice In Chains and Judas Priest headlined the Solid Rock Festival. DuVall shared memories of meeting Halford backstage in Rio de Janeiro during the festival. Beyond the casual interaction, DuVall went on to praise Judas Priest’s live performance and Halford’s impressive vocal range, saying:
“With the Metal God himself, Rob Halford, backstage in Rio de Janeiro. It’s been such an honor to share the stage and befriend this absolute legend these past few days. The great Judas Priest are sounding better than EVER live. Rob has not lost one bit of his insane vocal range. What a phenomenon. Talk about goals!”
On the Judas Priest front, the band hinted at a different musical direction with their upcoming album, described as more progressive than their previous work, ‘Firepower.’ Halford noted strong demos, while guitarist Ian Hill mentioned ample material for possibly more than one album. Release expectations sit between 2023 and 2024, with 2024 being the confirmed year.
In addition to the buzz surrounding their new album, Judas Priest was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 5, 2022. Celebrating their longstanding contribution to rock and metal, the band was awarded the Musical Excellence Award. The induction ceremony also honored former band members K.K. Downing, Les Binks, and Dave Holland.
Meanwhile, Alice In Chains fans have something to look forward to as well. Vocalist William DuVall hinted in an April 2022 interview that the band might start work on their seventh studio album. As of now, they are on the road touring — you can take a look at their upcoming dates here.
See the tweet below.
What a wonderful surprise to run into the great Rob Halford in the elevator on my way out of the hotel to the gig today. Rob remains the undisputed Metal God out here killing the game. Such an inspiration. Always great to see him. #judaspriest #robhalford pic.twitter.com/WQ7vaQ8tcU
— William DuVall (@WilliamDuvall) October 5, 2023