Dawn Of The Metal Gods– My Life In Judas Priest and Heavy Metal
– Al Atkins with Neil Daniels (Book)
http://www.alatkins.com/
Rating: B+
I have to admit that when I looked over this book for the first
time I did so with some initial trepidation. Al Atkins was both
a founding member and the original vocalist of metal legends
Judas Priest, but he was in the band at a time when they were
struggling to secure a record deal, not to mention he left the
group well before they hit the big time. I honestly wondered how
relevant his story would be considering the group he fronted
back in the late 60’s and early 70’s bared little resemblance to
the band they wld eventually become or they mega superstars they
are now. Well I needed have worried because Atkins with the help
of well known British scribe Neil Daniels, has written a
splendid and intriguing memoir which takes an in depth look the
genesis of one of metal’s premier bands. In addition he also
provides an equally interesting summation of the music scene in
and around England at what was a pivotal time in hard rock.
Atkins goes into great detail describing the endless struggles
of keeping the group together while he chased the rock ‘n roll
dream, all the while serving as the bands principal songwriter
and acting as a mentor for the younger members. When speaking
about Priest continuing with his replacement Rob Halford, and
eventually reaching the summit of metal fame and fortune, he
does so with nothing but admiration and respect for his former
band. There are a few moments in the book where he does profess
to being a tad envious of Priest, but he never comes across as
being overly bitter about anything. The book is interspersed
throughout with some fabulous early live and promo shots of the
band as well as the odd poster and concert handbill.
As if his Priest connection doesn’t end up being interesting
enough on its own, the second half of Dawn Of the Metal Gods is
a surprisingly more compelling tale. The man has definitely had
his fair share of up's and down's over the course of his career
and if you thought his story with Priest was tough slogging,
it's nothing compared to what he's had to go through just get to
where he is today. The good news is after the failures and
various stops and starts throughout the past two and half
decades, Atkins now finally seems on the cusp of achieving a bit
of success on his own with his new band Holy Rage, and at the
same time this book should help give him some long overdue
recognition for his work with Priest.
Al’s story is one of perseverance and his dedication and love
for music is what has kept him going all these years. In an
industry that routinely chews up and spits out its artists with
nary a hint of remorse, he has refused to go down for the count.
Heavy Metal does love their warriors and after reading Dawn Of
The Metal Gods, I don't see how you could possibly view him as
anything less.
-Ryan Sparks
