Thursday's Sonisphere Switzerland headliners Judas Priest deliver a killer set and push the benchmark high for those to come

A huge Epitaph scrim hid the stage from the audience as crew furiously cleared the way for the entrance of Thursday Sonisphere Switzerland headliners Judas Priest.

Miraculously, lost time was made up and the band hit the stage with Swiss precision bang on 9.30. Lights dimmed and an eerie red glow announced their arrival as they burst out of the starting blocks to the delight of the frenzied crowd.

New boy Richie Faulkner may have looked a tad nervous as he paced around back stage but he slipped effortlessly into the space vacated by long time Priest member KK Downing who departed suddenly from the line-up earlier this year.

Glenn Tipton glanced occasionally to his right to check on his new partner, nodding encouragement like a favourite uncle.

Flames billowed from pyro pots and the ground shook as Halford bellowed: "Hello Basel, Hello Switzerland, The Priest is back - are you ready for some heavy fucking metal?"

The answer was most definitely yes and the spark lit the blue touch paper as "Head Out To the Highway' tore a hole through the stadium roof.

Rob Halford was truly awesome - he must be a freak of nature to possess such a voice, some 40 years on from the embryonic stages of these metal idols. His tone was astonishing and delivery as good as there is in the business. The man possesses a voice which could weld steel plate and bang in the rivets at the same time. When he eventually pops off this mortal coil he should donate his vocal chords to medicine - they must be totally unique.

Faulkner continued to grow in stature as wave after wave of metal classics pounded from the PA.

From the recent "Judas is Rising' to the depths of the vault for "Diamonds and Rust' and "Starbreaker' Priest are a band who know how to deliver.

If this is the final world tour we'd better just hope that Priest are true to their word and won't rule out the occasional short jaunt out of premature retirement because they are far from ready for carpet slippers if this performance was anything to go by.

Purple and Green lasers cut through the dark and the audience watched in awe as "Never Satisfied' "Prophecy' and "Night Crawler' held them transfixed.

And still they played.

"Painkiller', "The Green Manalishi' and an awesome rendition of "Hell Bent for Leather' saw the introduction of Halford's Harley Davidson from the side of the stage which drew a huge roar from the seething masses before they received another audio onslaught with "You've Got Another Thing Coming'.

As the 11.30 curfew came and went the cuckoo clocks ticked on towards the witching hour and appropriately the band finished on a high with a storming rendition of "Living After Midnight'.

If Epitaph is to be their last hurrah and hell needs a house band, then that band is Judas Priest.

By Cameron Pirie, RockAAA.com