ONE of the most popular heavy metal bands of all time has announced Bradford will be the first date of their upcoming UK tour.

Judas Priest, who have sold more than 45 million records in a career dating back to the early 1970s, will play at St George's Hall in November for the first of six UK dates as part of their Redeemer of Souls tour.

The Bradford date will be the only one in Yorkshire and takes place on Monday, November 23, following a summer of concerts and performing festivals across Europe.

Priest will be supported by Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock, fronted by the former guitarist of fellow hard rockers UFO.

Although St George's Hall has hosted concerts by huge metal bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica and Kiss in the past, November's gig will be the first major hard rock gig at the venue, now more popular with comedians and children's shows, in several years.

It is the oldest working concert venue in the UK, having first opened in 1853.

Forming in Birmingham, Judas Priest first found mainstream success in the early 1980s thanks to hit album British Steel, which featured hits Living After Midnight, Metal Gods and Breaking the Law.

Many of these became popular music videos on MTV, catapulting the band to international success and leading to British Steel selling more than one million albums in the US alone.

A number of hit albums followed, including 1982's Screaming for Vengeance, which featured You Got Another Thing Comin'. The band even played Live Aid at the peak of their popularity.

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Despite being in their fourth decade, the band has not mellowed with age. One of their most recent albums, Nostradamus, was a heavy concept album about the life and prophecies of the French writer and seer.

Their latest album, Redeemer of Souls, was praised by critics and reached the top 10 of the US album charts.

MTV ranked Judas Priest as the second greatest heavy metal act of all time, placed only behind the genre's godfathers Black Sabbath, and the bands music style has influenced generations of musicians.

Their fashion style, dressed in leather and studs and incorporating motorcycles into their live shows, also greatly influenced the look of heavy metal bands and their fans, especially in the 80s.

Fronted by Rob Halford, the band wowed crowds at last month's Download Festival at Castle Donnington, playing second from the top of the bill on Friday evening and receiving rave reviews.

After Bradford, the band will play venues in Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Portsmouth and London.

Tickets for the concert go on sale on Friday.