It’s easy to hold bassists who shred in high regard. Bass players who dance around the fretboard instead of simply walking it. Bass players who know and use all the possible combinations of thirds, fifths, inversions, octaves, and whatever the hell Michael Manring is thinking about when he plays. We all love them. The bass players who don’t get enough credit are the workmen and women who hold it down. Those without whom songs are merely guitar players showing off, singers howling and growling, and drummers counting to four under their breath. This series is for them- The bassists who hold it down so everyone else can fly. 

Everyone knows Judas Priest. If you meet someone who says they don’t know Judas Priest start singing the chorus of “Breaking the Law” to them and they will sing along. Even if they’ve honestly never heard “Breaking the Law” before they will complete the chorus with you. They will fist pump in time. Anthropologists have traveled to the furthest reaches of the planet and conducted what is known in scientific circles as the “JP Test”and no matte where they go the locals are always able to pass the test. Many are also aware that they’ve got another thing coming and that something should happen should they live after midnight. A surprising number also know what “Ram It Down” is about, no matter how many metalheads pretended to be taken unawares back in 1998.

What is the reason for Judas Priest’s popularity and staying power? What has allowed them to weather decades of musical changes while staying true to the twin guitar attack that put them, alongside Iron Maiden, in the vanguard of the NWOBHM*? What is the rock on which the mighty Priest has been built these last 40 years?

Bass player Ian Hill.

Ian Hill is the only member of Judas Priest to be full time since its inception. Technically it’s him and Glenn Tipton but Mr. Tipton’s health sadly put him on limited touring duties since 2018, though he’s still a contributing member of the band. Priest has gone through more drummers than Spinal Tap, had one singer hiccup**, and recently lost both founding guitar players, but Hill always remains. Off to the side, letting everyone else have the spotlight, doing his job. In fact, without Ian Hill Priest wouldn’t have recruited the Metal God himself, Rob Halford. It was Hill who brought him on in 1972.

The “Holding It Down” series is not about flashy players. Ian Hill is anything but. When you think of someone setting the gold standard for heavy metal bass playing you think, rightly, of Geezer. But Geezer was working with one guitar player and having to fill a lot of space. Hill is filling a very different role. He’s got to work with an acrobatic singer and not one but two guitar players who are inventing what a genre sounds like with every lick and riff. Ian Hill and Geezer Butler are in the same genre and play the same instrument, but are doing two very different jobs. And they’re both trailblazing those jobs. Geezer went melodic. Hill became the engine.

A determined and moderately practiced up bass player of just about any level could learn an entire Priest album in a weekend if they wanted to. The parts aren’t hard. Ian Hill loved him some root note. Because Ian Hill loved him some Judas Priest metal. He’s the very definition of playing to the song, not playing to the ego. And playing simply doesn’t mean playing badly. Take, for example, the bass line of “Evening Star”, a deep cut off 1978’s Killing Machine (released in the States as Hell Bent For Leather). This moves and it drives the song forward.

Is it a bad thing that you could learn an entire album in a weekend? Does that in any way reflect the quality of the parts or the songs? Of course not. Think about the economy of playing that it takes to work around a band with so much going on. To make the bass stand out even as you lean back. No Judas Priest song would work without Hill’s driving bass attack. There are fills. There are links. There are flashes of flash and moments of dexterity that take time to learn. But more than that, learning to play Ian Hill lines is about learning to lock in. Get that metronome out and get to ticking because the second you fall off the groove everyone will know. KK and Glenn can go into a little display of guitar fireworks and everyone will be impressed. You’ll be closing your eyes and inventing new math to get back on the one before Rob runs you over with a motorcycle or the drummer explodes on you.

The lesson Ian Hill teaches us is that holding it down lets metal be metal. That you don’t have to be Steve Harris to be a successful metal bass player. And think about that- Whenever someone mentions Iron Maiden they’re going to mention Judas Priest. Which means if you’re Ian Hill you’re always being compared to a man with an indefatigable right hand. The Metal Bass Player who isn’t Geezer Butler until Cliff Burton headbanged onto the scene. You have two choices- Let your ego get the best of you and get competitive. “Oh yeah, mate? Harris thinks he’s the only one who can do this?” And in doing that completely change the sound of Judas Priest, losing what makes them different from the other major British metal band with two guitar players and air raid siren singers. Or you lock in even harder, push ego aside, and play what’s inside you and what your band needs you to play.

Ian Hill made arenas across the world headbang. It’s him you’re pumping your fist along with.

Go learn a Judas Priest song. A big hit like “Breaking the Law”, “Living After Midnight”, “Sad Wings of Destiny”, or “Painkiller.” A deep cut like the above “Evening Star”. Or a song with the greatest title ever, “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)”. Put a link in the comments. Tell us what Ian Hill taught you about playing bass.

*I’ve always pronounced this phonetically and I can’t be the only one. Go ahead, say it out loud.

*I like Ripper’s two albums, ok? Especially Jugulator. That album rocks.

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Doug Robertson is the editor of The Bass Blog, the blog component of The Bass Channel, your one stop YouTube channel for all things bass. His number one is a Mexican Geddy Lee Signature Jazz and his boomer is a BEAD tuned T-Bird. Find books by Doug here. If you’re interested in contributing to The Bass Blog please reach out to Doug at doug@thebasschannel.net. We would love to hear from you.