Judas Priest has been gifted keys to the city by Albuquerque, New Mexico’s metal-loving mayor Tim Keller, who has previously gifted keys to members of Testament, Possessed, Soulfly and Iron Maiden.
Forget the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, because metal legends Judas Priest has joined a very small but mighty group of individuals.
Earlier this week, while wrapping up their North American co-headlining tour with Alice Cooper, the band stopped by Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a show at the Isleta Ampitheater on October 23rd.
Ahead of their performance, the band would receive keys to the city from Mayor Tim Keller, an avid fan of the group and renowned advocate for metal music. You can check out the video below:
Now, while this may sound like an odd fit, Judas Priest isn’t the first metal band to receive keys from the mayor. In fact, in the past year and a half, Mayor Keller has given keys to members of Testament, Possessed’s Jeff Bacerra, Soulfly‘s Max Cavalera and Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson.
Born and raised in Albuquerque, Keller is well-known in the city as a heavy metal fan and often attends shows from acts that pass through the city. He’s even gone as far as to introduce Anthrax and Trivium on stage.
In a New York Times interview in 2017, Keller would share about his love for the genre and its ties to New Mexico, telling the publication, “Albuquerque has always been pretty strong on the heavy metal front,” he said. “What can I say? this is something I’ve been into for a long time.
Keller would take over as mayor that same year, earning 60% of his constituents’ vote.
Having completed their tour, Judas Priest have shared that they plan on taking a short break before heading into the studio to work on their upcoming 20th studio album.
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