**Interviewer (I):** Rob, thanks for chatting. It’s hard to believe it’s been *thirty years* since *Screaming for Vengeance* released. How are you feeling today as you reflect on that era?
**Rob Halford (RH):** Thirty years already—it’s wild. I still pinch myself. That album came out on July 17, 1982. It was our fourth studio record, but somehow it captured something elemental—raw aggression combined with melody and heart. It still gives me chills to think about its legacy.
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### **1. Birth of the Beast**
**I:** The writing process must’ve been something special. How did you first glimpse the vision?
**RH:** We’d had success with *Point of Entry*, but wanted a harder edge next time. I remember walking into the rehearsal room in Phoenix one afternoon, pounding out that riff with Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. It felt monstrous—like lightning in your veins. I was scribbling lyrics in my notebook: “…screaming for vengeance, fearing no man.” That phrase just landed. It was primal—a fight song for the oppressed, the outcasts.
Glenn and K.K. were riding that wave, their twin leads shimmering. Ian Hill and Dave Holland laid it down tight—this record locked in rhythmically, groove heavy. We knew we had something dangerous.
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### **2. Voice of the Metal God**
**I:** Your vocals on tracks like “Devil’s Child” and “Riding on the Wind” are iconic. How did you approach singing these songs?
**RH:** Blood, sweat, and leather—literally. I was living that lifestyle, and I brought every ounce of it into the studio. Standing at the mic, in full leather, I’d belt “Devil’s Child” like I was stalking a demon in the night. I wanted to channel sheer defiance.
“Riding on the Wind” required a lighter, freer take—wings unfurled. But then “Bloodstone” had to be emotional, heartfelt. Singing “I’ve been leading my life with a knife in the hand” came from a sincere place—I’d seen darkness, I’d loved losses, and I poured my soul into it.
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### **3. The Making of a Metal Anthem**
**I:** The title track, “Screaming for Vengeance,” is arguably your most enduring anthem. Can you walk us through its creation?
**RH:** Absolutely. Alex Sadkin produced the album, and on that day he asked if we’d tried a halftime version of the riff. Dave and Glenn looked at each other, shrugged, and I jumped in: “Let me try the vocals low, slow\… now build.” We tracked it live in a single take—just the band raw, room bleeding energy. When I screamed that opening line, “When I’m ripped to shreds…” goosebumps went through everyone.
Afterwards, Lex (producer Alex) pulled me aside, said, “That’s your moment—pure metal.” I still feel the electricity when I hear that roar, even today.
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### **4. Touring the Fury**
**I:** The Vengeance Tour that followed was legendary. Any memories stand out?
**RH:** So many. We kicked off in Europe in late 1982, then North America through ’83. We headlined arenas, shared stages with Scorpions, Judas Priest, and more. One night in Madison Square Garden—madness. I recall jumping off my riser, landing in the crowd (safely), singing “Take These Chains” from the floor. The crowd erupted. I remember thinking, *this is why we do it*.
Into ’84, we were back in Europe. One of my favorite moments: Stuttgart, where from the balcony I looked down on a sea of thousands lit by cell-phone lights (just torches then). I sang “Screaming for Vengeance,” and it felt like a single organism breathing metal.
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### **5. Legacy & Impact**
**I:** Looking back, what do you think made *Screaming for Vengeance* endure?
**RH:** It was honest. We weren’t trying to invent something; we were pouring our pain, hope, fight into it. The riffs, the vocals, the heart—it all meshed. And lyrically, we tapped into universal themes—revenge, redemption, resilience. Every metalhead, every outsider, everyone who ever felt underestimated—it spoke to them.
Over the decades, it’s never dated. If anything, it seems to get sharper. I still meet fans who say it saved their lives, gave them identity, unity. That’s more than music—that’s legacy.
*6. Revisiting the Songs**
**I:** Have you changed your approach to these songs in live shows today?
**RH:** We dial in the old-school tone—vintage amps, classic drawbars on drums. But my voice now tells the story differently. Back in ’82 I was bellowing youth and rebellion. Now I’m channeling wisdom, battle scars. I don’t try to replicate the furious pitch; I reinterpret it. The fans understand—they’re on the journey with me. Shows are ceremonies of shared history.
7. Thirty Years On: Thoughts & Feelings**
**I:** What does this 30th anniversary mean to you personally?
**RH:** Gratitude. Pride. A little disbelief that this wild child I was, screaming through a throatful of determination is still here, still screaming. And to think *Screaming for Vengeance* hit Platinum in ’83 in the U.S., and kept growing globally—it was validation that heavy metal has heart. It’s not just noise—it’s armor, identity, lifeblood.
And I feel a responsibility now—as an icon, as a mentor—to keep the spirit alive. Through charity work, through Young Metal Masters mentoring new singers. It’s passing the torch.
*8. A Message to the Fans**
Any message for the legions, old and new?
Thank you. Thank you for thirty years of volume, passion, loyalty. Keep believing, keep screaming—for vengeance, for justice, for hope. Keep lifting each other into the light. Metal doesn’t die—it lives through you. And as long as you scream, I’ll scream with you.
### **Epilogue**
Rob pauses, takes a breath, gazes at the plaque framed behind him: *Screaming for Vengeance*—30 × Platinum. He smiles.
It was just music, then it became a mission. And now—it’s our legacy together.”
We raise our glasses. Thirty years later, the roar is sti
ll deafening
