A new documentary titled The Ballad of Judas Priest is in production at Sony Music Vision, celebrating the English Metal Gods’ 50-plus-year history and rise to the top of the hard rock heap.
Documentary filmmaker Sam Dunn and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello will co-direct the film, marking the latter’s directorial debut. The Ballad of Judas Priest will feature timeless metal anthems such as “Breaking the Law” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” and chronicle the band’s working-class Birmingham, U.K. roots to their modern status as Grammy-winning Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
“We have lived and breathed metal for over five decades, and finally in this documentary we are summoning our congregation to officially witness our lives uncensored, in a never-before-seen way,” Judas Priest said in a statement. “The cassock comes off, revealing Priest in all its metal glory!”
READ MORE: The Best Song on Every Judas Priest Album
“While some may know Judas Priest for their huge hits that have shaped the heavy metal genre, there is so much more to their story,” Morello and Dunn added. “Tracing their incredible 50-year journey, this film will capture how Judas Priest both defined the sound and look of metal, but also made it a more inclusive place along the way. We are grateful to the band for allowing us such intimate, unfiltered access to their lives and look forward to bringing this film to the metal masses around the world.”
More than a half-century into their career, Judas Priest shows no signs of slowing down. They released their 19th album, Invincible Shield, in March 2024, and they’re embarking on a co-headlining North American tour with Alice Cooper this fall, with support on most dates from Corrosion of Conformity.
Judas Priest Albums Ranked
They don’t call ’em Metal Gods for nothing.
Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
