Judas Priest’s classic 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, and in conjunction with the milestone, the metal legends are partnering with Z2 Comics on a graphic novel inspired by the landmark record.

Judas Priest: Screaming for Vengeance, which is expected to be released in July 2022, is being co-written by Rantz Hoseley and Neil Kleid, known for their work, respectively, on The Heroin Diaries and Savor, with illustrations by Hellboy artist Christopher Mitten.

The novel takes place 500 years in the future and focuses on a naïve engineer who lives in a ring of cities that orbit a desolate planet and are governed by an elite group of cruel rulers. When the engineer discovers an item called a Bloodstone that threatens the rulers' power, he's exiled to the planet's surface, where he must either accept his fate or seek vengeance on his adversaries.

"I was already a fan of the band, when Screaming for Vengeance was released, but no one was ready for the impact it had," says Hoseley. "That incredible cover art? Those songs? That album became my daily soundtrack and creative fuel…To be able to contribute to a project inspired by these songs…is an honor and a responsibility I take very seriously."

The book, which you can pre-order now, will be available in hardcover and softcover, as well as deluxe and super-deluxe versions featuring an exclusive Screaming for Vengeance vinyl LP, prints and other items, including a collectible figure based on the metallic eagle that appears on the cover, aka "The Hellion."

Released in July 1982, Screaming for Vengeance has been certified double=Platinum by the RIAA, making it Priest’s best-selling album in the U.S. It features the band’s classic song “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.”

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