in memory of JUDAS PRIEST drummer Les Binks (1951-2025)

James Leslie Binks (July 6, 1951 - Mar 15, 2025)

Les Binks is most famous for playing with Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979. He drummed on the heavy metal classics Stained Class and Killing Machine. Earlier in the 1970s, he played with the bands Fancy and Wizard's Convention. In the early 1980s, he joined Lionheart and recorded the album Rough Justice with Tytan. Later in his career, he played with many different groups like Broken Bones, Raw Glory, and Metalworks. He stayed active in the metal scene by forming his own band, Les Binks' Priesthood, in 2018. He also worked with K.K. Downing in the band KK's Priest between 2019 and 2021. Binks played with many other projects over the years, including Axis Point, The River Gods, and Purple Haze. He drummed right up until his passing on March 15, 2025.

Les played on two legendary Judas Priest studio albums in 1978. The first was Stained Class, famous for the opening song "Exciter," which features Binks' fast drumming. Other songs are "White Heat, Red Hot," "Savage," and the title track "Stained Class." Binks also played on the cover song "Better by You, Better than Me." He helped write the music for the great song "Beyond the Realms of Death." This album ends with the heavy tracks "Saints in Hell," "Invader," and "Heroes End." This is my favorite Judas Priest album of all time!

The second album he recorded that year was Killing Machine, which was released as Hell Bent for Leather in the United States. This album features known songs like "Delivering the Goods," "Rock Forever," and the classic "Hell Bent for Leather." Listen to Les work on "Take On the World" and the melodic song "Evening Star." It's different! The album also includes the tracks "Burnin' Up," "Running Wild," and "Evil Fantasies." Binks showed his range by drumming on the soft ballad "Before the Dawn" as well as the heavy title track "Killing Machine." Both of these albums were highly influential for the younger generations of heavy metal music in Britain itself, and in USA, Canada, Germany and Brazil, and other countries, for both traditional heavy metal bands and thrash bands.

Les also played on the live album Unleashed in the East (1979).

Judas Priest - Exciter (live Japan HD)