Confess, my review

Confess: The Autobiography by Rob Halford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Rob Halford, the Metal God. The electric frontman of Judas Priest set the style and tone of heavy metal for decades. Possessing a four-octave vocal range and magnificent stage presence, we all wanted to be Rob Halford.

As it turns out, we should be happy we weren't him. In Confess, Halford presents an honest, detailed story of his life from his roots in the Black Country of England to the heights of fame and beyond. But this isn't a typical take of rock and roll excess, because Halford is also gay, a fact that he felt he had to hide from the world, lest he destroy Judas Priest.

This is an incredibly personal book that shows how complex a life can be. Halford can point to the ferocious fights between his parents as the source of his fear of conflict while expressing his deep love for both of them. He is open about his struggles with drugs and alcohol without making excuses. His tales of failed relationships and anonymous sexual encounters are presented simply as what he experienced as a deeply closeted gay man.

We also get a good amount of detail on Judas Priest from the time he joined to today. Reading about how the albums were created (British Steel, possibly one of the great metal albums of all time, was 30 days from start to finish) along with stories from the road round out the story of the Metal God portion of his life. His accidental resignation from Priest, solo career, and reintroduction to the band are all covered in depth.

What you end up with is a complete portrait of a very private man. The title is very apt. This is Rob Halford's confession to his followers, and we are all better off for reading this. As I just told my wife, after reading this, I just want to give Halford a hug. I've been a Priest fanatic since 1983, seen them several times, but I don't want an autograph or selfie, I just want to hug him and tell him that I've been clean for 33 years myself.

It's that kind of book.



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