Judas Priest with Mastodon

One of the most influential early pioneers of heavy metal, British stalwarts Judas Priest play an intimate show at the Warfield in San Francisco this week with support from modern metal favorites Mastodon.
Formed in the industrial city of Birmingham (the same gritty locale that gave birth to Black Sabbath), Judas Priest went through several line-ups before early members K.K. Downing (guitar) and Ian Hill (bass) brought on singer Rob Halford and second guitarist Glen Tipton. Initial efforts Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny did little commercially, but established the band's heavy twin-guitar sound and Halford's operatic vocals with such live favorites as "Tyrant," "Victim of Changes," and "The Ripper."
The band would go one to develop it's signature studded leather look and aggressive attack on subsequent albums like Sin After Sin and Stained Class, but they didn't enjoy real chart success until the release of British Steel in 1980. Fueled by hit tracks "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight," the album catapulted Priest to headlining status and served as the template they would follow for later efforts like Screaming For Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith.
While the band would suffer some artistic missteps during the '80s as they flirted with a glam image more in line with the hair-metal era, they bounced back in 1990 with a return-to-form release Painkiller that the more intense sounds of the thrash bands like Slayer and Metallica that early Priest had influenced.
Though the iconic lead singer split from the group shortly afterwards, the constant clamor for a reunion made his triumphant 2003 return almost inevitable. Since then, the self-proclaimed metal gods reaffirmed their status through scorching live shows and the solid material found on 2005's Angel of Retribution and last year's Redeemer of Souls. While guitarist Downing has retired from performing (Richie Faulkner joined in 2011), Priest continues to tour widely for its rabid base of fans. For these two shows, they are joined by modern metal mavericks Mastodon.
Delivering an innovative style of heavy music that draws on elements of hardcore punk, '70s progressive rock and more extreme metal, Atlanta foursome Mastodon has been turning heads with its original sound and pummeling live performance since forming in 1999.
Powered by the technically accomplished fury of drummer Brann Dailor (who plays like Slayer mainstay Dave Lombardo channeling jazz giant Elvin Jones), the group put out one of the most talked about metal albums of 2004 with their widely praised sophomore effort Leviathan, a conceptual recording that drew inspiration from Melville's epic "Moby Dick" -- not your usual subject matter for a headbanging outfit.
For the band's ambitious follow-up effort, Mastodon brought ever-growing complexity to both the quantum-physics riffage of guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher and the conceptual storyline cooked up by principle lyricist Dailor, Crack the Skye unveiled an allegorical tale revolving around the astral projection, exploration of the spirit world and the planned assassination of the mad monk Rasputin in Czarist Russia.
The band would dial back the conceptual element for its next two albums -- The Hunter in 2011 and last year's Once More 'Round the Sun -- but even with a more straightforward and sometimes even pop-minded approach, Mastodon's music remains light years ahead of most of their contemporaries in terms of ambition and complexity. The group is currently working on its next album and already released one new song this year -- "White Walker" -- which appeared on a mixtape promoting the fifth season of the HBO hit show "Game of Thrones."
Judas Priest with Mastodon
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 8 p.m. $69.50-$95
The Warfield