In the industrial heart of Birmingham, a revolution in sound was brewing during the late ’60s and early ’70s. Among the smoky skies and steel mills, two bands emerged that would come to define heavy metal: Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. K.K. Downing, founding guitarist of Judas Priest, vividly recalls the early days of that scene and the inspiration drawn from their fellow Brummie pioneers.
“Judas Priest was trying something different,” Downing reflects. “We were pushing boundaries, searching for our identity in this raw, loud, working-class energy. Then we saw what Sabbath was doing—it gave us a massive confidence boost. Suddenly, it felt like, ‘Yes, this can work. This sound can speak to the world.’”
Black Sabbath’s success wasn’t just influential—it was foundational. Their doom-laden riffs and dark lyrical themes carved out a path that Judas Priest would follow and refine into their own brand of twin-guitar attack and high-octane metal anthems. But even with their own rising fame, Priest never forgot who lit the fuse.
Downing speaks with reverence when he mentions Tony Iommi. “No one can play like Tony,” he says. “There’s a weight and character to his riffs that’s completely unique. You can feel the streets of Birmingham in his playing—it’s gritty, honest, and heavy as hell.”
The connection between Sabbath and Priest wasn’t just musical—it was cultural. They were sons of the same city, shaped by the same struggles, dreaming beyond the grey walls of their environment. Together, they gave metal its first pulse, its first roar.
“To come up alongside Sabbath,” Downing concludes, “wasn’t just inspiring—it was destiny. They showed us the door, and we kicked it wide open.” And in doing so, both bands forged the blueprint for a genre that still echoes
worldwide.
