10 Hard Rock Bands That Had To Fire Major Members

By the time metal started picking up steam, Judas Priest were quickly growing into kings of the genre. Whereas other acts like Black Sabbath still identified themselves as a hard rock act, Priest were the first of their kind to wear the metal flag proudly, with amazing riffs and screams from Rob Halford that could shatter windows. At the outset though, there was a good chance that Halford may not have found his way to the Priesthood.

In the original incarnation of the group, Judas Priest were originally voiced by Al Atkins, who also wrote the bulk of the material. However, things started to get a little bit more complicated as the years went on. Just as the group seemed to be on the cusp of something better, Atkins was asked to leave because he couldn't commit fully to the project, considering that he had a family to support around the same time.

Looking for other singers, the girlfriend of bassist Ian Hill suggested Halford, whose amazing high-pitched screams turned Priest into a well-oiled machine pretty much overnight. After slogging it out with Atkins' material on Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings of Destiny was the start of something much heavier, with songs like Victim of Changes providing the blueprint for what Priest would become. For as much time and effort that he may have put into the group, the Al Atkins version of the band would not have converted nearly as many believers as the proper Priest did.