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Les Binks, Former Judas Priest Drummer, Dies at 73

Les Binks, who played drums on two seminal late 1970s Judas Priest albums, has died at 73.

The drummer made his biggest mark on 1978’s Stained Class, where his massive, double kick drum sound and blitzkrieg style is a standout from the very first seconds of opening track “Exciter,” one of the songs that set the stage for the speed and thrash metal of the 1980s. Binks also appeared on the follow-up, 1978’s Killing Machine(which was released as Hell Bent For Leather in the U.S.), the most commercially oriented collection to date from the Priest, and the LP that would also mark his swan song with the group. Les Binks of Judas Priest speaks onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on Nov. 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

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