(Credits: Far Out / Spotify)
Mon 23 February 2026 8:00, UK
The Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman, Billy Corgan, once described metal pioneers Judas Priest as “criminally underrated”, as long before arena tours and platinum records, they were a struggling Birmingham band trying to get noticed with some good ol’ fashioned demos.
Despite emerging from the same industrial Midlands scene that produced Black Sabbath, they were always a different beast, leaning into dual-guitar harmonies, dramatic arrangements, and experimental sonic detours that would later help define heavy metal. It was an identity that fully crystallised once Rob Halford joined the band and introduced his now-legendary operatic scream, but prior to that, they were originally formed in 1969 by vocalist Al Atkins and bassist Brian ‘Bruno’ Stapenhill, alongside guitarist John Perry and drummer John ‘Fezza’ Partridge.
Atkins was a key creative force, writing early material including ‘Whiskey Woman’, which would later evolve into the Judas Priest classic ‘Victim of Changes’; however, with the band experiencing only moderate success, and as the only member of the band with a wife and to support, the mounting financial pressure led him to officially depart in May 1973.
Soon after, so did drummer Chris Campbell (later resurfacing in the band Machine), leaving Judas Priest to then recruit two new members from local band Hiroshima: drummer John Hinch and vocalist Halford, brother of bassist Ian Hill’s girlfriend, making for an era that would soon define the band’s global legacy.
In late 2025, YouTube channel Musiques Perdues claimed to have two rare first 1971 demos from the Al Atkins era: ‘Holy Is The Man’ and ‘Mind Conception’, which always gets fans excited, given that they never released any official material with Atkins. Musiques Perdues’ claim appeared to line up with a post from a Judas Priest vinyl collector on Facebook who declared that they owned a 1971 demo featuring Al Atkins on vocals of ‘Mind Conception’ and ‘Holy Is The Man’, of which only five copies were pressed, one for the manager and each band member.
Upon listening to the recordings on Musiques Perdues, ‘Holy Is The Man’ stood out for sounding surprisingly modern and clean, which raised suspicions, reinforced by a user comment claiming the version circulating online was not from the original demo, but instead a reworked from Al Atkins’ 1990s album Victim of Changes, and a quick listen on Spotify confirmed this challenge.
On the other hand, ‘Mind Conception’, sounded a lot more like it had been produced in 1971, and after some more digging, it was confirmed to be real, but the original version can actually be found on Al Atkins’ 2023 album Reloaded, where track 11 of 12 is listed as ‘Mind Conception (Original ’70s Demo).’
Somewhere out there, the original ‘Holy Is The Man’ demo may still exist, wherein the Facebook post makes evident that it was recorded, but unless someone with access to one of the original acetate releases makes it publicly available, it may remain unheard by most fans.