JEFF WATERS TALKS ABOUT JUDAS PRIEST & IRON MAIDEN

Some don't know that Annihilator toured twice with the mighty Judas Priest. Of course, the Painkiller Europe 1991 tour (tour of the dang century to us and many fans!) but we were, again, invited back to tour with them in 2004 on the Reunited Europe Tour, when Rob Halford rejoined. Kinda killer for an Ottawa, Canada boy to end up touring twice with his idols... and with the (arguably) best vocalist in Metal. (Bruce, Ronnie, etc... I know... but Rob is my #1)

Dickinson to me is fkn close. ROb is more versatile and technically better but Bruce is more straight ahead and brilliant and also with the feel. I think that's the simple reason why Maiden got bigger than Priest: Maiden's music and vocals were more (brilliantly) repetitive and catchy whereas Priest are and were the Masters of diversity ... Maiden is in that template of ACDC and Slayer where you have a very narrow sound and songwriting style and you stick to it... easier to gain more fans... and remember, my fave band is Slayer.

But Priest are less mainstream because they played and tried so many beautiful and awesome styles... so they and Halford edge out Maiden and Bruce to me! I also had that choice to make in my earlier years: Narrow down my writing style and sound and get "more successful" OR do what I wanted, experiment and was artistically versatile and artistically successful as hell; not commercially! Kudos to Maiden and Priest. Without either one, Metal would be HALF as good as it has been to us! BTW, THE SENTINEL and HALLOWED BE THY NAME have to be the Top 2 best metal songs ever created and performed.