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In a brand new interview with Final Basic Rock, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton spoke concerning the progress of the songwriting periods for the band’s follow-up to 2018’s “Firepower” album. He mentioned: “The epidemic actually halted the writing course of. However the band was kicking concepts round earlier than that. I feel it is what each PRIEST fan would need to hear. There isn’t any try and be intelligent or try to do one thing too dangerous. It is simply down and out PRIEST. And as I say, I feel it is going to be what each PRIEST fan will need.”
Final month, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was requested by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Verify In if he agreed with guitarist Richie Faulkner‘s latest remark that the band’s upcoming album might be extra musically “progressive” than “Firepower”. He responded: “Yeah, the metallic is there. However this is the factor: we have tried our greatest to not replicate something that we have performed. From ‘Rocka Rolla’ right through to ‘Firepower’, every report has had a particular character. And it is powerful as a result of followers go, ‘We wish one other ‘Painkiller’,’ ‘We wish one other ‘British Metal’.’ And [it’s, like], ‘Dude, we have already performed that.’
“Followers know that we’re a band that’s all the time filled with journey and attempting new stuff,” he continued. “And so, yeah, this has obtained in all probability some extra progressive components that we have by no means actually delved into earlier than. And that is thrilling, as a result of, once more, it provides us and our followers one other alternative to see a unique aspect of PRIEST. However it’s nonetheless metallic. There’s simply extra of it. There are extra notes than there have been earlier than.”
In February, Faulkner informed Canada’s The Metallic Voice concerning the progress of the songwriting periods for PRIEST‘s subsequent album: “Because the ‘Firepower’ tour, all of us went our separate methods, like we do, and we have all the time obtained concepts developing; me, Rob and Glenn, we form of begin to put concepts down. And we obtained collectively in early 2020 — me, Rob and Glenn; and [co-producer and touring guitarist] Andy Sneap was there as effectively — and we pooled all our concepts collectively and we began the primary writing session. So we obtained collectively a batch of songs that had been under no circumstances completed, however they had been developed sufficient that we might name them songs. So we might give them working titles. They had been demos, if that is smart. So we had a batch of demos. After which since then, we have been looking for a possibility the place we will all get collectively and develop ’em additional and report them. However, clearly, with the restrictions of the lockdown and the pandemic…”
He continued: “We wanna be collectively as a band to iron out these creases. If the three of us obtained along with a gaggle of songs and we performed them collectively, it is, like, ‘Oh, that one wants a little bit of fats trimmed there,’ ‘That is too lengthy’ or ‘We have to put some extra guitar solos in there.’ It turns into evident if you play collectively what songs want. So we have been on the lookout for a possibility to do this. It has been powerful with the journey restrictions — a few of us dwell over right here; a few of us dwell over there — so it has been powerful. However we have began recording some and getting it put collectively with these restrictions, as a result of we wanna get it performed, nevertheless it’s clearly taking longer than we might like, actually, due to the pandemic. Clearly, now we have the tour developing and hopefully we will get on the street and keep on the street, so we’re gonna work round that movement. So I would not prefer to say when it is gonna be completed and when it is gonna be out, however we are engaged on it and we are devoted to getting it performed, getting these songs down after which getting it out to the world. However, clearly, we’re nowhere close to a launch date, however we are devoted on engaged on it and getting it performed to the very best of our capability, for certain.”
As for the musical course of the brand new PRIEST materials, Faulkner mentioned: “Everytime you begin a report, you by no means know the way it’s gonna prove. So that you would possibly begin with an concept of what it is gonna be, and because it form of rolls on, it comes out one thing totally different. So you do not fairly know. And in addition it is actually arduous to sum up your individual music, I discover, with out sounding actually pretentious. However I feel this one — it is not ‘Firepower 2’, I do not suppose. It is its personal factor, it is its personal animal. If something, I’d say it’s kind of extra progressive in locations, and in locations it is obtained a bit extra of that ‘Killing Machine’ swagger.”
Faulkner added: “I do know everybody says, ‘Oh, is it the subsequent ‘Painkiller’?’ or ‘Is it the subsequent…?’ no matter… I do not know in the event that they’d ever performed it, however I do know we have by no means performed it once I’ve been within the band; we have by no means tried to recreate an album. It is all the time we attempt to create an album that stands by itself legs. So I feel it is undoubtedly just a little bit extra progressive than ‘Firepower’ and, as I mentioned, in locations it is obtained just a little little bit of that ‘Killing Machine’ indignant swagger angle occurring. However once more, as I mentioned, we’re ready to see what it seems like, ‘trigger it might prove fully totally different.”
In March 2021, Halford confirmed that PRIEST‘s subsequent album will see the band reuniting with the “Firepower” manufacturing workforce consisting of Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).
Tipton was recognized with Parkinson’s illness eight years in the past after being affected by the situation at the least half a decade earlier. Tipton introduced in early 2018 he was going to take a seat out touring actions in assist of “Firepower”. He was changed by Sneap, who can be identified for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.
Bassist Ian Hill is the only remaining unique member of PRIEST, which shaped in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST within the early Nineties to kind his personal band, then got here again to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist Okay.Okay. Downing parted methods with the band in 2011, and was changed by Faulkner.
A number of the different members of PRIEST have additionally handled varied well being setbacks in recent times. Halford not too long ago publicly revealed that he battled prostate most cancers through the pandemic. He beforehand talked about his most cancers battle within the new chapter added to the up to date paperback version of his autobiography, “Confess”. In “Confess”, Halford revealed that he was recognized with most cancers after experiencing signs for at the least a few years.
In July 2020, Rob underwent prostatectomy, an operation the place your complete prostate gland is eliminated plus a number of the tissue round it, together with the seminal vesicles. After extra most cancers was discovered final 12 months, he went by radiation remedies in April and Might 2021 and finally obtained then all-clear in June 2021. He additionally had an appendectomy after a tumor was found on his appendix.
Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection through the band’s efficiency on the Louder Than Life pageant in late September. Faulkner was rushed to the UofL Well being – Jewish Hospital the place the cardiothoracic surgical procedure workforce wanted roughly 10 hours to finish a life-saving surgical procedure.
