Halford - Live in Anaheim

A must for Halford fans, with the Metal God in his elementBefore re-joining Judas Priest in July of 2003, Metal God Rob Halford was on tour supporting his newest release, Crucible.  Little did we know at the time that The Metal God would be returning to his throne with Priest.  Live in Anaheim is a live recording of a show that the band did in Anaheim a month before he re-joined the lads.  This double CD package, also includes some live tracks from a show that the band did in Tokyo earlier that year. 

LIA is a nice collection of classic Priest, Fight and Halford tunes.  I was really impressed with the set, as Rob dug out some classic Priest to play on this tour.  Songs like Rapid Fire and Never Satisfied were a real treat to hear performed live.  I was also excited to see that the rare track Light Comes out of Black was included.  As far as the sound goes, the CD was mixed well and gives you a sense of being at the show.  My only critique, is that it sound is a little trebly at times.  The great thing is to hear how the band had grown together since the last live release.  I like the set list, but I would have liked to have heard a little more Fight included.  A nice disk to get us ready for the new CD as well as the live dates, coming this fall.

Bottom Line: The Metal God doing what he does best, performing live.  A 23 song platter of come and get you some.  Rob sounds great and re-assures you why he is still the Metal God.  The set list differs enough from the Live Insurrection disc to make this a must for Halford fans.

Standout Tracks: Light Comes Out of Black, Golgotha, Rapid Fire and Resurrection

- Ragman is ready for the new Halford