Screaming In The Dark

This biography is both reflective and raw, and shared tales in sometimes slightly uncomfortable detail. The overall narrative is enjoyable, insightful and interesting. Halford himself does a good job of sharing his experiences, though does not always sound as confident or comfortable in front of the microphone in a sound booth in comparison with in front of a crowd. He is perfectly clear and eloquent, and the fact that he is the one reading the autobiography gives greater credence to this reflective narrative, though the performance is not always ‘flowing’.

Overall I would certainly recommend, alongside Dickinson’s ‘what does this button do?’

3 people found this helpful

Overwhelmed

Having Rob reading it the best gift ever. Thank you Rob for confessing. Love it

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Who knew it would be this boring...

Having read a glut of RnR biographies, I have to say that this isn't one of the better ones.
Halford makes it sound like being in Judasi Priest is as exciting as working in a factory. Non stop. On early shift.
Confess seems to be a title based solely around his obsession with letting you know he's gay. Whilst obviously a serious issue for him growing up and continued to be into his later years, the fact he goes on about it soooooo much begins to grate ( still not convinced that most UK teen boys were wanking each other off non stop - and that it was normal as he says) Stories of rock N roll excess don't really get told, nor do massive arguments with bandmates or other bands. The latter chapters hit higher notes and I do feel you get a more rounded picture of the man eventually but gossip and intimate details of the Priesthood don't appear.
It just isn't that exciting.

3 people found this helpful

Black Country Metal Magic

Halford is down to earth, honest, humorous, and never goes for self pity or the glamorization of the battles he had with drink and drugs. You get a typical West Midlands warm hearted guy baring his soul, brutally honest about growing up as a homosexual in the era of ignorance and prejudice.
And the entire career of Judas Priest is here for all to enjoy. The albums, TV performances, break ups, regrets, tours, incidents...
For all his success, Rob Halford is still at heart a humble Walsall man, and his softly spoken voice and tales of his childhood and family will endear him to many including those who read autobiographies by the cart load. This one you won't forget.

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A Wonderful Listen

I absolutely loved listening to Rob tell his own story . Extremely honest and many times I laughed out loud. The biggest compliment I can give to Confess is that it has been my most looked forward to hour of every day as I walked and listened for the last 2 weeks. I already feel liked I’ve lost a friend I have now finished listening to Robs life story. A wonderful listen.

1 person found this helpful

The memoir of a gay man who became a Metal God

Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million copies of their albums. And are often ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band had struggled early on. They had indifferent record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980. After this time they rose to commercial success with the album British Steel.

The band's membership has seen a lot of turnover. This included a revolving cast of drummers in the 1970s and the departure of singer Rob Halford in 1992. The American singer Tim "Ripper" Owens replaced Rob in 1996. The band then went on to record two albums with Judas Priest, before Halford returned to the band in 2003. The current line-up consists of:
. Rob Halford,
. guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner,
. bassist Ian Hill, and
. drummer Scott Travis.

K. K. Downing left the group in 2011.

I read Rob's book at the same time as KK's autobiography. This allowed me to get both authors recounting the band from their different perspectives.

Out of everything they've achieved both of them tell the story of when Rob pooped in an envelope in the back of a van. At any rate, in Rob's book you get the honest memoir of a gay man who lived a full (and now sober life) as a 'Metal God'. He describes his personal struggles in parallel to the public successes. Contrast this with KK's big book of grievances. All the way through his book KK discusses the band dynamic. Especially when Glenn joined then took a leadership role. A role that Ken could not replicate. Although he clearly resented it. Rob simply covers in Confess this by saying there was lots of bickering between the two guitarists. Pity it took a book to get everything out in the open. KK also covers his strained relationship with the latter-day band's manager, Jayne Andrews.

In summary, unlike Confess where Rob covers all his inner struggles, KK's book is not a deep dive into the core of what makes him tick. He comes across as an easy going, working class bloke who is passionate about Heavy Metal and Judas Priest.

Thoroughly enjoyed them both.

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Deep, honest and classy

While many other autobiographies rely on namedropping and sensationalism, Rob has chosen to go in the opposite direction and focus on himself and his life, allowing other people to tell their own stories, should they wish to do so. I salute him for that.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who loves to listen to his very calming speaking voice, so it really added to the experience to have him read his own story. I bought the actual book as well, but this was the fastest way to get the book once it became available.

Even die-hard Priest fans might be surprised by some things in this book. It covers his entire career and I was surprised that he even managed to throw in a little story from the Alice Cooper "Christmas Pudding"-gig in Phoenix last year that I flew in from Sweden to attend (specifically for Rob of course). He even talks about the pandemic. In other words: It couldn't be more fresh and up-to-date. I just might listen to it one more time. Love it. :)

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Long live the metal god!

Such a lovely experience to have the metal god himself tell his stories daily. A great life of a great artist.

This is just bostin' Rob, you yampy git!

I have only just really discovered Priest, which is weird considering I'm 44, listened to metal since 1989 and from Stourbridge (just 12 miles away from Walsall), so I thought I better find out about the musicians behind the music.
This was very insightful and a clinical psychologist would be able to pick this apart with glee; has I have tried too. We can all learn some life lessons from this book.
I very nearly just purchased the Ebook, but when I saw Rob was narrating it himself, I just had to buy it, just the hear that Black Country's accent on a audiobook!
Bostin' job mate.
Dave

A touching metal history

Starts sordid but ends happily and sheds some light on the process of many Priest albums. Not suitable for children.