Breaking the Law

Reznor’s stamp is all over Two’s multidimensional debut, Voyeurs. Halford describes it as a musical "hybrid of things that are going on around us." Like Tool or Prong, Two wallows in sludgy, codeined guitars, which mesh easily with Reznor’s industrial, subdisco elements. Halford possesses one of rock’s most versatile throats — he can troll as high as Mariah Carey, scream rawer than Axl Rose and emote like a Broadway diva. He’s relatively subdued on Voyeurs, favoring a taunting, nasal, Alice Cooper–like monotone or a strangely melodic, gravelly belch. The album is surprisingly catchy, at times like the most hardcore music available at Walmart, often as pop-heavy as the local alt-rock station might allow. Reportedly, several Midwestern radio stations refused to play it after Halford revealed his homosexuality on MTV.

Not that anyone was surprised. Of his past, Halford says, "It’s all been gay to me, totally homoerotic as a gay man." The leather, so much leather, and so much raging, snarling masculinity aimed in a non-gender-specific direction — like Freddy Mercury’s, Halford’s sexual orientation seemed as obvious as a red hankie in a rear pocket. Months before his MTV appearance, Halford performed "Breakin’ the Law" with queercore band Pansy Division at San Diego’s Gay Pride Festival. "Once I thought about it, it was so obvious," remarks Division’s bassist, Chris Freeman. "Even five years ago, coming out would’ve been a bad idea, but now it’s a good career move." Like Freeman, many gays hope Halford’s openness will encourage other closeted rockers to come out. "I’ve lived with this sexuality all my life," says Halford, "and it was the last part of me that I felt I had not totally displayed in an honest way . . . I think it’s a myth that homophobia is rampant in heavy metal — it’s rampant in all forms of music.

"I’ve had some hate mail — ‘All fags should be shot’ — but there aren’t enough bullets to get rid of us." To get the point across, local dragster/porn maven Chi Chi LaRue was drafted in to direct the video for Two’s "I Am a Pig." Meanwhile, Judas Priest forges ahead as both great art and great comedy. The remaining members have taken steps to ensure that the immortalization they received with Beavis and Butt-head and Heavy Metal Parking Lot was well-deserved. Jugulator, Priest’s first new disc in seven years, features the vocal stylings of one Tim "Ripper" Owens, a law-firm purchasing agent from Akron, Ohio, who played Halford for a decade in the Priest tribute band British Steel. Halford is diplomatic about the whole thing. "I was only one voice in Priest," he says. "My memories of Priest are the best I could have. I think it’s great they’re continuing." Some would say Halford has always had a strange and risky career. And while Two may win him new fans, he’s not expecting the world. "I don’t know what’s going to happen," he says. "I think we’ll bring in an eclectic mix of people. I would like to think that there will be some Halford fans from my previous musical experiences, although by definition they’re very conservative. For people that know of my work, it’s really pushing things to an extreme." Rock on!

1 | 2 | 3