Five questions with Judas Priest's Ian Hill ahead of Sonic Temple performance

Ian Hill, bassist for Judas Priest, discusses topics including the revival of heavy metal and what he's looking forward to at Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival, where the band performs Thursday.

Question: There seems to be a resurgence in heavy metal. What do you attribute that to?

Ian Hill: I think it's fan-based more than anything. Heavy metal is more musically inclined than vocal; with pop music, the vast majority is vocal-led. With heavy metal, you need to concentrate more on it, put more of your own effort into listening to it. If you took heavy metal away, (the fans) would still be there. What are you going to replace it with? There will always be a market for it.

The older acts like ourselves, (Iron) Maiden and AC/DC are quite versatile. We do a lot of different styles of music within heavy metal − songs that make you cry, songs that make you scared!

Question: More people are bringing their kids and even grandchildren to concerts these days. Are you finding that Judas Priest and other metal bands are gaining a new generation of fans?

Hill: That's absolutely right. There's a hell of a lot of young faces in the audience and they seem to know the songs. There was a whole bunch of young people at our show, late teens, who knew the lyrics to all the songs. There's a great future for heavy metal.

Question: Judas Priest's early music wasn't as heavy as it eventually became. What prompted the evolution to a heavier sound?

Hill: That's exactly what it was − it evolved. Heavy metal, back when we started, didn't exist. It was called hard rock or progressive rock. We were influenced by our heroes − Jack Bruce from Cream, John Entwistle from The Who.

With each album, we wanted to make it better than the last one. Heavy metal came into being in the late '70s. Before that, it was very jumbled, very eclectic. About 1980, everything gelled; the musical direction became as one.

Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival: What you need to know if you plan to go

There's still that need to step forward. It progresses; you don't rest on your laurels.

Question: When it comes to longevity, what advice would you give some of the younger bands playing at Sonic Temple?

Hill: Patience more than anything. There's no such thing as an overnight success, unless it's on "American Idol" and generally, that's short-lived. You have to get your foundation and keep plugging away. If you're enjoying it and you've got something to offer, someone will start to notice you. A sense of humor helps!

Question: What are you most looking forward to about playing at Sonic Temple?

Hill: It's a huge event! It's always nice to play to a hell of a lot of people. You get that sort of party feeling. It's a more serious thing when we're doing our own show. Festivals are very, very lovely things to do − there's a great family feeling between the bands backstage, no animosity, no competition. We do it because we enjoy it.

bpaschal@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Five questions with Judas Priest's Ian Hill ahead of Sonic Temple show