What can be said about Rob Halford that hasn't been said a million times over the course of his illustrious five-decade long career?

You probably know him best as the iconic frontman for heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest, but Halford is literally everywhere in 2010. He recently played a priest in a Virgin Mobile commercial, he's the voice of the villain from the popular "Brütal Legend" video game (also featuring Jack Black), he has his own apparel line and he even won a Grammy this past year.

The man is an absolute legend in the metal music genre and his instantly recognizable vocals have inspired countless singers across the world. It was UWeekly's great fortune that the Metal God took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss his new album "Made of Metal," touring with his aptly titled solo band alongside his old pal Ozzy, and the recent news that Judas Priest will be embarking on a farewell tour in 2011.

UW: Well let's get to talking a bit about the new Halford album, "Made of Metal." Was it just time for another Halford record?

The time is always right for a new record because that's what keeps rock n' roll moving along. The songs are being thrown into the engine on the railway tracks. I'm just speaking metaphorically, but you know what I'm saying. We re-fuel the old train with all the new songs we make.

So, it was that and also that it had been several years since there has been a full new Halford release. Couple that with the fact that we've got these shows to enjoy with Ozzy at Ozzfest and then this arena tour that we're doing with Ozzy and then the solo dates that we're about to complete this year with.

UW: I'm a big blues fan and there is one song on the album, "Till the Day I Die" that really stood out for me because it has such a great bluesy feel to it. Were you just in a blues mood when writing the song?

I always remember when I first started to really appreciate and understand the value of music when I was growing up that the blues was one of the first kinds of music that really started to touch me, started to connect to me emotionally, and I've never lost that.

It turned out to be a great song. I love the way it starts. It was Roy Z's idea, my producer, to put that nice Nashville steel slide guitar in the beginning and just keep that blues dimension throughout the whole song especially as it gets stronger. We went into a kind of "When the Levee Breaks" kind of thing because I'm a huge Zeppelin fan. I think that was the inspiration for when the song comes roaring in. So all-in-all it turned out really well. Yeah, it was a good tune.

UW: Pat Lachman, he was one of your guitarists in Halford, who went on to front the band Damageplan. This being a Columbus, Ohio, paper and the Dimebag tragedy still fresh in our memory, I'm sure metal fans in the area would like to know how he's doing and what he's up to. Do you stay in contact with him?

I'll be seeing Pat soon. I think he's living in Dallas now. I got an e-mail from him the other day and I hope to be seeing him in the next couple of weeks. I don't really know what he's doing musically, but when I see him I'll be asking him obviously. He's an incredibly talented guitar player, but a great voice as well. I certainly hope he's still working. He's got everything that he needs to be a great metal musician.

UW: This is kind of a silly question, but were there any other band names considered before settling on Halford?

It's not a silly question, it's a good question. I did look at several ideas. I can't remember what they were now, but I think what we were trying to do was just send a strong signal out after my experiences with Fight and my experience with the Two band.

We just wanted to get back to basics and I think just by calling it Halford hopefully people think, "Well, that's Rob. The fans call him the Metal God, it's going to be a hard metal kind of experience."

UW: Well, mission accomplished. I wouldn't be able to call myself a metal fan if I didn't ask about the news today that Judas Priest will be doing a farewell tour in 2011. What brought that on? Was it just time?

Yeah, I think it's time, you know. We're not the first band to say farewell, it's just the way everyone comes to at some point and we're gonna say a few more things early next year, so I think the main thing that we just want to ask everybody to consider is don't be sad about this, start celebrating and rejoicing over all the great things we've done in Judas Priest.

UW: Does this news mean that Halford will be getting more of your attention in the future?

Yeah, I've always said regardless of anything else that's going on when time permits and when there's no conflict with Priest, I love to do what I do with the Halford band, so that really hasn't changed at all.

Halford's latest album, "Halford IV - Made of Metal" is available wherever records are sold. For more information, please visit www.robhalford.com.

Originally posted at http://uweekly.com/newsmag/01-05-2011/16992/halford-is-made-of-metal