Now, you may not like Confess's music. You may not like that they've chosen to express themselves through a loud and vociferous medium. But that's just a matter of taste, not of principle. Consider this fundamental tenet of a free society: it is too dangerous to grant a monopoly over expression to any government.

One of the problems with living in Atlantic Canada is that very few big acts perform here; most "national" tours don't come east of Montreal. Which is why several thousand aging metalheads -- including me -- turned out on the 10th to finally welcome Judas Priest.

"Should he be president? Oh, I don't know about that."