Judas Priest

There is no debate about the fact that Judas Priest are one of heavy metal's pioneers. There is no second guessing the fire of songs like 'Hell Bent For Leather,' 'Livin After Midnight,' or 'Breaking The Law.' 1986's 'Turbo Lover,' however, is a different kettle of stew. Even the most die-hard Priest fan would have to admit that this particular synthesizer-aided song wasn't quite cut from the same cloth as most of the band's early material.

Before Rob Halford became Judas Priest's frontman, Al Atkins held the position in the band's prefame years. And even though Atkins didn't sing a note on Priest's first two albums, 1974's 'Rocka Rolla' and 1976's 'Sad Wings of Destiny,' he made his presence felt as a co-writer of 'Victim of Changes,' among other songs.

Had Atkins remained a member of Priest, surely the course of the band's history — and heavy metal in general — would have been altered. The same can probably be said of the Priest sound, he tells The Examiner.

K.K. Downing isn't rocking out with Judas Priest anymore, but that doesn't mean he is out of the public eye. In fact, he could be opening his own estate in Shropshire, England, up in a very public way if his plans to open a 63-room luxury hotel there go through.

It was seven years ago today (Dec. 8 ) that Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage in Columbus, Ohio. His passing left the world of rock devastated. All these years later, we still mourn his tragic death and the hole his passing left in rock music.