Judicator: History, Mortality, and Power Metal Reimagined
Judicator isn’t just a power metal band — it’s a reckoning with history and mortality, plumbing the depths of the human condition one album at a time.
Since their serendipitous formation in 2012, when singer John Yelland and guitarist Alicia Cordisco (ex-Judicator, Transgressive) crossed paths at a Blind Guardian concert, the band has been on a relentless journey to craft concept albums that confront existential anxiety in its many forms. From character studies of historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Frederick the Great, to the deeply personal At the Expense of Humanity, which recounts Yelland’s experience losing his brother to cancer, Judicator brings history and humanity into sharp focus.
Rooted in Salt Lake City, Judicator has produced six albums over the course of a decade, with their latest opus, Concord, set to release in early 2025. The band’s blend of thought-provoking lyrics, memorable riffs, and charismatic energy has earned them a loyal following and some surreal milestones — like featuring Hansi Kürsch as a guest vocalist on 2018’s The Last Emperor and opening for Blind Guardian in Salt Lake City during the God Machine North American tour in 2024.
While co-founding member Alicia Cordisco departed in 2020, her legacy remains an integral part of Judicator’s DNA. Today, the band continues to push boundaries as a five-piece power metal powerhouse, weaving tales that are as epic as they are intimate.
Judicator’s music seeks to hold a mirror up to life’s greatest struggles and triumphs, whether great or small — whether grand historical sagas or intimate struggles with mortality. Judicator invites you to grapple with the inevitable, together, one song at a time.
