Judas Priest and I were born in the same year– 1970. How are we doing 38 years later? Well, I need more naps, and hangovers are really becoming a bitch. Priest, however (which joins Sabbath and Maiden in metal’s Holy Trinity) continues to rock as loudly and proudly as always. Plus, defying all logic or expectations, “Metal God” Rob Halford’s patented screams and shrieks not only haven’t weakened, they’ve actually gotten more powerful and intense with age. Songs like “Breaking the Law,” “Living After Midnight,” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” have become undisputed hard-rock/metal classics, though plenty of other stuff in the quintet’s sprawling catalog– from the prog-metal of 1976’s Sad Wings of Destiny to the pummeling thrash of 1990’s Painkiller— holds up really well, too. And, 38 years into their lifespan, Priest seems way more ambitious than I am-– they just released a 23-song, two-hour concept album about Nostradamus that includes some of Halford’s best vocal performances ever. With Testament.

Tue., July 22, 7:30 p.m., 2008