Hell Bent for Leather
Judas Priest | Artist Essentials
First released: 1978 (year verified)
Original 1978 studio album recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: A brief, urgent selection that keeps the opening group moving.
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Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1978 (year verified)
Killing Machine was issued in 1978. The official discography's 1979 Hell Bent for Leather heading describes the later US album edition; that later market date does not replace the original year.
Recording: Original 1978 studio album recording
Credit: Judas Priest
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original album: Killing Machine
Judas Priest - official discography
Original album track programs and stated release years, with live albums and remaster bonus tracks separately identified. The Hell Bent for Leather heading is the 1979 US issue; the original Killing Machine year is independently supported by the label. The 2024 album date is not used for the earlier Panic Attack single. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Judas Priest 50 Heavy Metal Years - Sony Legacy original album chronology
The label explicitly identifies Killing Machine as the 1978 original album. Only that original date distinction is used, not the 2021 box-set date or the archival concert session dates. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
In the yearly lists
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About Judas Priest
Judas Priest's heavy-metal recordings combined Rob Halford's forceful vocals with the twin-guitar work associated with Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. British Steel in 1980 brought songs including Living After Midnight and Breaking the Law; Screaming for Vengeance and Painkiller continued the group's album history in 1982 and 1990. The band's leather-and-studs stage presentation also became closely associated with the genre. This historical profile does not assign those members to every later recording.
Artist background sources
Judas Priest - official historical biography
Historical Rob Halford/Glenn Tipton/K.K. Downing era, two-guitar sound, British Steel, Screaming for Vengeance and Painkiller. Not a current lineup claim. | Retrieved 2026-10-19
British Steel - Judas Priest official store
Original 1980 album and Living After Midnight; this is a studio program, separate from later live renditions. | Retrieved 2026-10-19
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-19. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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