Judas Priest's Ian Hill Names His All-Time Bass Idol

Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill has named his all-time bass idol and the album he says is "probably" his No. 1 desert island album all in the same breath.

Hill, the lone remaining original member of the legendary heavy metal act, spoke about his top five bass albums with Guitar World, selecting records released between 1966 and 1977 — all prior to Judas Priest's big breakout in the 1980s.

Despite not being among the flashiest bassists in metal, Hill is no less important because of it, steadily anchoring Priest's metallic might for half a century, always serving the song above self-interest.

He calls the 1966 album Blues Breakers by John Mayall with Eric Clapton the "pinnacle of British blues," citingJohn McVie as "one of the all-time classic British blues bassist," noting that he's "so underrated" as well.

Other records he selects among his top five bass albums are The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Quartermass' self-titled 1970 effort and Heavy Weather by jazz fusion group Weather Report.

Ian Hill's No. 1 Desert Island Album

The other pick from that top five includes what Hill estimates is his No. 1 desert island album — Cream's 1968 album Wheels of Fire. "It's an absolute peach, and they were so young when they did it. Listening to it, you'd think they'd been playing together for 30 or 40 years, but no, they'd just started."

Ian Hill's All-Time Bass Idol

When talking about Wheels of Fire, the Judas Priest bassist also states, "Jack Bruce is my all-time idol. He went through John Mayall's band too, of course, as did Eric Clapton. What those two did in Cream with Ginger Baker was just amazing."

Jack Bruce, Cream - "White Room" Tutorial

Judas Priest in 2024

Next year, Judas Priest will release their 19th studio album, Invincible Shield. So far, fans have been treated to a pair of new singles — "Panic Attack" and "Trial by Fire."

They'll also kick off a North American tour with support from Sabaton on April 18. See all of those dates here.