Defenders of the Faith: meet the Metallian, half tiger, half tank
A horned, snarling machine rolls out of the dark on tank tracks, crushing rocks as it goes. Judas Priest gave it a name, and a warning: keep the faith, or else.
Under the chrome Judas Priest logo something is coming at you. A horned head with bared fangs and glowing eyes, armour in red and blue, spikes along its body, and where the legs should be, tank tracks grinding over broken stones. It is part animal, part war machine, and fully committed to ruining your day.
The band even gave it a name. This is the Metallian.
A beast with a job description
The creature was the band's own concept, a tiger-like beast with horns, built for land assault, with Gatling guns and tank tracks. On the back of the sleeve Judas Priest printed a short piece of lore to go with it: the Metallian rises from the darkness, it is the master of all metal, and only those who keep the faith will escape its wrath. So the title is not about religion at all. The faith is heavy metal, and the defenders are you.
The man who drew the Hellion
The painting is by Doug Johnson, the artist who had already given Priest the Hellion, the metal creature on the cover of Screaming for Vengeance in 1982. Back then there was no Photoshop. That hard, polished, almost sculpted look came from an airbrush and a lot of patience. Next to most of the hand-drawn monsters of 1984, the Metallian looks like it rolled off a factory line.
Reportedly the beast did not stay on paper either: a version of it went on tour with the band as a stage prop.
Back to Ibiza
Defenders of the Faith was recorded in the summer of 1983 at Ibiza Sound Studios in Spain with producer Tom Allom, and mixed in Miami. The line-up was the classic one: Rob Halford on vocals, K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton on guitars, Ian Hill on bass and Dave Holland on drums. The album came out in January 1984 and reached number 18 in the US and number 19 in the UK. Not a bad result for a band whose mascot runs on tracks.
About the poster
This is the Defenders of the Faith sleeve printed as a 50 × 70 cm (20 × 28 in) portrait poster, from 2024. It is an original magazine insert, never hung, with no staple holes, folded three times as issued. The sheet is double-sided, with Blood Incantation "Absolute" on the back.
Browse all original Judas Priest posters.
Quick answers
What is the creature on the Defenders of the Faith cover?
The Metallian, a horned, tiger-like beast on tank tracks. Judas Priest came up with it and named it.
Who painted the Defenders of the Faith cover?
Doug Johnson, the artist who also created the Hellion for Screaming for Vengeance.
Where was Defenders of the Faith recorded?
At Ibiza Sound Studios in Spain in the summer of 1983, with producer Tom Allom. It was released in January 1984.
How big is the poster?
50 × 70 cm (about 20 × 28 inches), portrait. It is a separate insert, so it has no staple holes, and it is folded three times as issued.
What is on the other side?
Blood Incantation "Absolute". The sheet is double-sided, so you choose which side goes on the wall.