JUDAS PRIEST: 'The Early Years' Interactive Scrapbook Takes You Back To The Band's First Two Studio Albums

Exciter Records has launched The Early Years, an interactive JUDAS PRIEST scrapbook that revisits the band’s formative period around Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings Of Destiny. The site gathers early photos, video, memorabilia and archival material, and serves as a hub for the 50th-anniversary activity tied to Sad Wings Of Destiny.

Two anniversary editions are presented: Original 1976 Masters and Remixed & Remastered. Original 1976 Masters restores the band’s intended sequencing from the analog master tapes and is offered on hand-poured Solar Flare vinyl with a unique color pattern on every copy, plus a CD with liner notes and previously unseen archival photos. That archival edition includes the original 1976 recording of “Diamonds And Rust,” tracked during the Sad Wings sessions but left off the album.

Remixed & Remastered is a newly produced mix from the original multitrack recordings – produced by Tom Allom, mixed by Luie Stylianou and mastered by Matt Colton – and will be issued as a 45 RPM, 180g double LP mastered at half-speed for an audiophile presentation, with a modern digipak CD option. Both editions were made available for streaming worldwide on October 2, 2026; the Original 1976 Masters CD and vinyl arrived October 9, and the Remixed & Remastered physical release followed on November 27. Exciter and its publishing affiliate Reach Music say they acquired the master rights and returned control of the recordings to the band and its creative partners.