The genre of metal band memoirs has exploded after the success of Motley Crue’s The Dirt, and even more so in recent years since its Netflix movie adaptation. These have included books by members of iconic bands such as Megadeth, Van Halen, Guns ‘N’ Roses, and Ozzy Osbournse, with varying degrees of critical and commercial success. Confess, by Judas Priest’s singer Rob Halford, presents the best of these accounts of life as a Metal God.
Even the context around Confess makes it stand out from its peers. Not only is Judas Priest one of the most influential early metal bands that inspired the explosion of metal in the 1980s and gave Pantera their big break, but Halford himself is the most famous openly gay metal musician, and the epitome of the heavy metal vocalist. He is metal’s Freddie Mercury, complete with vocal range, stage presence, and signature onstage outfits (Halford is the originator of metal’s association with leather and motorcycles). Confess stands out because it is more than a collection of wild rockstar tales. It is a seasoned musical veteran looking back on the development of an entire genre alongside complex struggles with his own identity.
Halford, along with the rest of Priest and metal progenitors Black Sabbath, grew up in working-class industrial communities in Birmingham. This environment of smog-ridden skies and families supported by factory wages was a crucial catalyst to the creation of metal as a genre. For Halford, this was combined with his love for classical theatre and pop music, to create Priest’s more upbeat version of heavy metal.
One of the most significant things about Halford’s story is growing up and becoming famous as a gay man in communities that did not tolerate homosexuality in the slightest. This is the only account of its kind because of how rare openly gay musicians are in the mainstream metal scene, and this added layer of depth sets it apart from so many other memoirs. It chronicles the heavy weight put on his shoulders for decades, while he had to keep his identity a secret because he was worried it could jeopardize his band’s reputation, until coming out unplanned during an MTV interview in 1998. Music fans tired of heteronormative tales of world-famous musicians will have a welcome break with Confess. Boasts about sleeping with fans are replaced with nerve-wracking pursuits of a life partner, knowing he could be recognized and outed at any moment.
Beyond just his romantic endeavors, Halford’s story also breaks away from the stereotypical binge-drinking stories to adopt a more self-reflective attitude toward alcohol and cocaine after 34 years sober. Halford does not try to hide his problems with alcohol and drugs, as well as the harm they caused his bandmates at times, but it is not glamorized in the slightest. Despite having very valid reasons to try and escape daily life (read: being a gay man in heavy metal in the 70s), he celebrates his sobriety and the effort it still takes every day rather than looking back on drunken glory days. If there is anything that every single metal musician has in common, it is their inevitable sobriety and regret.
One of the most interesting things that Confess has to offer is a separate point of view within the same band: Priest guitarist Ken “K.K.” Downing also released a memoir in 2018 titled Heavy Duty: Days and Nights in Judas Priest. In it, Downing offers his own take on his issues with the band’s other guitarist Glenn Tipton and iconic British metal band Iron Maiden. Readers considering only Downing’s account may come away with a negative view of both based on Downing’s portrayal, but Halford offers a more neutral perspective on both these situations and Downing’s eventual departure from Priest. This dual-account from multiple members of the same band has been done before in similar memoirs, but none as popular as this, and it is a trend that should continue. Being able to contrast differing accounts creates a more complete picture to fans of the band and metal in general.
As a metal memoir, Confess sits at the top alongside The Dirt, while being a completely different kind of rockstar story. Halford is someone who is easy to be sympathetic toward. His journey from a sexually confused working-class boy in a factory town, to the married and sober Metal God is a beautiful story of love and perseverance. His unique story to tell in a community without much representation combined with his maturity and insights earn Confess a very strong 7.5/10 rating.