Judas Priest Commemorate 'British Steel' Album With Coffee

Judas Priest Commemorate 'British Steel' Album With Coffee:

Two of metal's most enduring themes are strength and darkness, and now metal innovators Judas Priest are making something else that's strong and dark: their own coffee. To commemorate the 35th anniversary of their cherished British Steel album, the self-proclaimed Metal Gods teamed with Chicago's Dark Matter Coffee to make their own limited-edition "British Steel" blend.

Right now the coffee, which is made from two different beans imported directly from El Salvador to the store, is available for preorder. The store's site specifies that the default setting is "whole bean" and that people who want ground coffee would need to say so. But, on a humorous note, they're also including a cassingle of the British Steel track "Grinder," backed with their recent song "Snakebite," which appeared on the bonus disc to their recent Redeemer of Souls LP. The coffee is also available at Dark Matter's Windy City stores, when it officially comes out on April 14th.

Dark Matter also makes a "Dream Cuts" blend inspired by former Slits member Viv Albertine. The store's site says that blend has notes of apple, lemon and toffee and describes it as "a crisp, light and sweet coffee with enough body and vigor to warrant repeated 'listens' all day long."

Judas Priest, who recently reissued their 1984 LP Defenders of the Faith in a deluxe edition, aren't the first hard-rock or metal artist to venture into coffee making. In recent years, members of Aerosmith, Megadeth, Anthrax, Queensrÿche and Kiss have all sold their own brands of coffee, as well as solo artists Rob Zombie and Zakk Wylde. Kiss singer-guitarist Paul Stanley even made a commercial for Folger's, though it didn't surface until late last year.

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