Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings will release the two-CD set "The Essential Judas Priest" on April 4.

JUDAS PRIEST rocketed out of the tough steel town of Birmingham, England, more than three decades ago, and the 34 songs collected here form nothing less than the very backbone — the pure essence — of heavy metal. This uncompromising style of rock 'n' roll has earned a remarkably loyal fan base worldwide and no other band defines heavy metal better than JUDAS PRIEST.

The core of vocalist Rob Halford, lead guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing and bass guitarist Ian Hill worked with several drummers in the earlier years, with longtime current member Scott Travis rounding out the definitive lineup due to his incredible power and versatility. JUDAS PRIEST knows that what matters is the music, and its ability to blend unforgettable melodies with atomic-bomb power has never been equalled.

All the songs on "The Essential Judas Priest" are the complete original studio album versions featuring the Halford/Tipton/Downing/Hill axis — from the 1976 landmark "Sad Wings Of Destiny" through the astonishing 2005 reunion platter "Angel Of Retribution".

The track listing is as follows:

Disc 1:

01. Judas Rising ("Angel Of Retribution" - 2005)
02. Breaking The Law ("British Steel" - 1980)
03. Hell Bent For Leather ("Hell Bent For Leather" - 1979)
04. Diamonds And Rust ("Sin After Sin" - 1977)
05. Victim Of Changes ("Sad Wings Of Destiny" - 1976)
06. Love Bites ("Defenders Of The Faith" - 1984)
07. Heading Out To The Highway ("Point Of Entry" - 1981)
08. Ram It Down ("Ram It Down" - 1988)
09. Beyond The Realms Of Death ("Stained Class" - 1978)
10. You've Got Another Thing Comin" ("Screaming For Vengeance" - 1982)
11. Jawbreaker ("Defenders Of The Faith" - 1984)
12. A Touch Of Evil ("Painkiller" - 1990)
13. Delivering The Goods ("Hell Bent For Leather" - 1979)
14. United ("British Steel" - 1980)
15. Turbo Lover ("Turbo" - 1986)
16. Painkiller ("Painkiller" - 1990)
17. Metal Gods ("British Steel" - 1980)

Disc 2:

01. The Hellion ("Screaming For Vengeance" - 1982)
02. Electric Eye ("Screaming For Vengeance" - 1982)
03. Living After Midnight ("British Steel" - 1980)
04. Freewheel Burning ("Defenders Of The Faith" - 1984)
05. Exciter ("Stained Class" - 1978)
06. The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown) ("Hell Bent For Leather" - 1979)
07. Blood Red Skies ("Ram It Down" - 1988)
08. Night Crawler ("Painkiller" - 1990)
09. Sinner ("Sin After Sin" - 1977)
10. Hot Rockin' ("Point Of Entry" - 1981)
11. The Sentinel ("Defenders Of The Faith" - 1984)
12. Before The Dawn ("Hell Bent For Leather" - 1979)
13. Hell Patrol ("Painkiller" - 1990)
14. The Ripper ("Sad Wings Of Destiny" - 1976)
15. Screaming For Vengeance ("Screaming For Vengeance" - 1982)
16. Out In The Cold ("Turbo" - 1986)
17. Revolution ("Angel Of Retribution" - 2005)

"The Essential Judas Priest" liner notes were written by respected veteran rock journalist Geoff Barton.

Sony Music's Legacy Recordings divison has issued the best-selling, critically acclaimed "Essential" series of compilations from many of the greatest popular-music recording artists in history.

Kutplatenmaatschappijen ook altijd. Wat is de meerwaarde ten opzichte van Metal Works 73-93? Judas Rising en Revolution?

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton told Greg Prato of Billboard.com that the band will reconvene next month to begin writing the follow-up to 2005's "Angel of Retribution", which was the band's first album with singer Rob Halford since 1990's "Painkiller".

"We've had a break — we've been out for almost two years," Tipton said. "We all decided to take January off, and then we're going to start writing the new album in February. We are doing a charity show for the Teenage Cancer Trust at [London's] Albert Hall in April, and we are talking about some summer festivals [in Europe]. But our main priority is to write the next JUDAS PRIEST album — that'll be the number one thing on our agenda."

Regarding the upcoming reissue of his 1997 solo album "Baptizm of Fire" and the release of a collection of recordings made with THE WHO bassist John Entwistle and veteran session drummer Cozy Powell, Tipton said, "At the time I was with Atlantic, and in their words, they thought [the Entwistle/Powell recordings were] 'a bit old-school. They wanted me to work with some younger guys, and mix and match the tracks. I went to L.A. and worked with some young guys," including ex-DAVID LEE ROTH bassist Billy Sheehan and METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo.

"A really great album came out of it, but what it did was leave all these other tracks that I'd done with John and Cozy," Tipton said. "I always knew that Cozy was a great drummer, but I never realized what good a bass player John was, until he came down to the studio and started to play. I always felt that these tracks were valuable tracks, and deserved to see the light of day."