Judas Priest are now in the studio working on a new album

[treeduck]

New Priest dates in Europe in January/Feb/March but only as a support act for Ozzy. So there will be a truncated setlist no doubt. Sounds like bullshit to me.

 

I guess just like Deep Purple, Ozzy has no problem with the main support band blowing him off stage every night.

Aye.

[TexMike]

Probably a co-headlining thing like Purple. Ozzy's always looking for a reason to play a shorter set.

[J2112YYZ]

Probably a co-headlining thing like Purple. Ozzy's always looking for a reason to play a shorter set.

 

Sabbath did two hour sets on their last couple tours. But solo Ozzy does 90 mins at the most including guitar/drum solos he on stage even less than that. Its probably helped him to go as long as he has at this point though.

[bathory]

I'd still see the show

[Union 5-3992]

I got a ticket to see them tomorrow night at Darien Lake. I hope they keep Delivering the Goods.

[Union 5-3992]

I'm excited because it's almost an entirely different set than the 2014 show

[treeduck]

[Union 5-3992]

Had a fantastic view of the band!

 

[treeduck]

Had a fantastic view of the band!

 

Where's that at??

[J2112YYZ]

Why on earth would they even have a seat like that available for purchase? I never knew the venue had seats that were blocked like that and I've seen many shows there.

 

Unfortunately I couldn't make it to this show. Hoping they come back around here or the Rochester area on their own next year.

 

Duck, that's the Darien Lake performing arts center. It's located way out in the middle of nowhere next to an amusement park. It's a half hour or so outside of Buffalo, NY.

[Union 5-3992]

That was a joke. I sat 2 seats to the right of that (it was still "obscured and $20 off)

 

I'd say seeing a pole in my peripheral vision isn't the worst way to see a show. I would have bought a shirt but the design I wanted as sold out. Oddly enough I didn't see a single person wearing it either...

[treeduck]

That was a joke. I sat 2 seats to the right of that (it was still "obscured and $20 off)

 

I'd say seeing a pole in my peripheral vision isn't the worst way to see a show. I would have bought a shirt but the design I wanted as sold out. Oddly enough I didn't see a single person wearing it either...

Which design was it?

[treeduck]

[J2112YYZ]

That was a joke. I sat 2 seats to the right of that (it was still "obscured and $20 off)

 

I'd say seeing a pole in my peripheral vision isn't the worst way to see a show. I would have bought a shirt but the design I wanted as sold out. Oddly enough I didn't see a single person wearing it either...

 

That's ok, don't give us a review or anything.

[Union 5-3992]

I've been a bit busy lately but here's a quick review of the show.

 

Seeing them was mostly a last minute decision because I wasn't sure if I'd make the trip in time for the show. Once my brother told me he was driving from Albany to see it, I bought a ticket and made it in time for the Temperance Movement to finish up their set. I've only seen them once in 2014 and they blew me away. The live album Battle Cry has been in constant rotation since its release because it's such a damn fun listen. The bar for Priest was high. They fully delivered on Wednesday. I was expecting Rob to have trouble considering he's 67 years old but he totally killed it on songs like Sinner, Delivering the Goods, and Rising From Ruins. Sure he struggled on Painkiller, but has he ever performed that song without ending up on the floor? I was amazed that he still attempts it at his age and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm glad that they ended the show with the message "The Priest Will be Back". They still seem energized and passionate and I'd love to see what they do next.

 

Unlike Deep Purple, Rob's voice was mixed higher than the band. They really showed off his strength. he wavers in places, but still hits his hard parts quite well. Deep Purple did a fine job. The band was really tight. I've seen Steve Morse before and know what he can do. He was phenomenal throughout. As was Don Aires and Ian Paice (considering he recently recovered from a stroke). Unfortunately Ian Gillan's voice is pretty much shot. I get that they're headlining since it's their last big tour but Priest still blew them away.

[Union 5-3992]

Oh and I was sitting next to some drummer who was telling me how he was buddies with Scott Travis. He had grown up in Pittsburgh and played in some early bands with Paul Gilbert. He also said he drummed for Joey Belladonna until he gave it up in the early 90s. I briefly tried looking into him online but couldn't find anything substantial.

[treeduck]

Oh and I was sitting next to some drummer who was telling me how he was buddies with Scott Travis. He had grown up in Pittsburgh and played in some early bands with Paul Gilbert. He also said he drummed for Joey Belladonna until he gave it up in the early 90s. I briefly tried looking into him online but couldn't find anything substantial.

He was probably lying or wildly exaggerating.

[Union 5-3992]

Oh and I was sitting next to some drummer who was telling me how he was buddies with Scott Travis. He had grown up in Pittsburgh and played in some early bands with Paul Gilbert. He also said he drummed for Joey Belladonna until he gave it up in the early 90s. I briefly tried looking into him online but couldn't find anything substantial.

He was probably lying or wildly exaggerating.

He showed a number of pictures with them when he was younger. Face looked the same. And some recent video of Scott drumming filmed from some backstage area. He still sounded like he could have exaggerated it a bit but he seemed mostly legit

[treeduck]

I've been a bit busy lately but here's a quick review of the show.

 

Seeing them was mostly a last minute decision because I wasn't sure if I'd make the trip in time for the show. Once my brother told me he was driving from Albany to see it, I bought a ticket and made it in time for the Temperance Movement to finish up their set. I've only seen them once in 2014 and they blew me away. The live album Battle Cry has been in constant rotation since its release because it's such a damn fun listen. The bar for Priest was high. They fully delivered on Wednesday. I was expecting Rob to have trouble considering he's 67 years old but he totally killed it on songs like Sinner, Delivering the Goods, and Rising From Ruins. Sure he struggled on Painkiller, but has he ever performed that song without ending up on the floor? I was amazed that he still attempts it at his age and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I'm glad that they ended the show with the message "The Priest Will be Back". They still seem energized and passionate and I'd love to see what they do next.

 

Unlike Deep Purple, Rob's voice was mixed higher than the band. They really showed off his strength. he wavers in places, but still hits his hard parts quite well. Deep Purple did a fine job. The band was really tight. I've seen Steve Morse before and know what he can do. He was phenomenal throughout. As was Don Aires and Ian Paice (considering he recently recovered from a stroke). Unfortunately Ian Gillan's voice is pretty much shot. I get that they're headlining since it's their last big tour but Priest still blew them away.

Here's the latest on what's next...

 

ListenIowa caught up with Faulkner recently to discuss the tour, the recording of “Firepower,” and what the future holds for Priest.

 

What’s it like to be a part of this Judas Priest/Deep Purple package with so much history rolled into it?

It’s surreal, man. As a fan of both bands, it’s great songs and legendary players. It’s just a great night of heavy music.

 

It must be inspiring to see Rob (Halford) and Ian (Hill), and the guys from Deep Purple out there doing what they do best, at almost double your age.

It is. It encompasses everything this is about. It’s drive. It’s passion. There’s no age on creativity. As long as you’re healthy and take care of yourself, you can get out there and put out music at that age and beyond. It’s also because of the fans. They support this music and these bands. They love this music, and it’s a heartwarming and inspiring thing.

 

Do you see yourself performing at that age and touring and doing what they’re doing?

Well, they’ve set the bar pretty high. When I was learning the guitar, I was aspiring to be like Jimi Hendrix or Glenn Tipton, and there’s still an inspiration because of them. It’s like, if they can do it, it is it my duty to do it, too. They’re still out there setting the bar.

 

How important is it, then, that both bands get some validation with a Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame nod? Or is it even necessary?

That’s a good question, man, and I’m right down the middle, and it’s my opinion and mine only. The main thing, I feel, is that if a band can still be putting out great music, touring the world with great fans after 50 years, that’s all the accolade anyone needs. I don’t think we need an awards show to validate Judas Priest.

 

If it did happen, it would obviously include Glenn, who is one of the most revered heavy metal guitar players in history. His Parkinson’s disease revelation earlier in the year was a shock to the metal community. How is he doing these days health-wise?

He’s doing fine. With these sort of challenges, there are good days and bad days, you know? When Glenn pulled back from touring, it took the pressure off him, I think. If he was having a bad day, he didn’t have to worry about being able to get through the gig. I think it’s enabled him to be able to have a few bad days, then have a few good days and come out and join us. The fans understand the situation. They’ve been so accepting. They love Glenn. You can feel that they are right behind him, and when he is able to come out, the place just erupts. You can feel the love in the room. He means a lot to all of us.

 

The man who stepped into Glenn’s shoes for the live show, Andy Sneap, is known more for his wizardry behind a production board than a live performer. Did his guitar skills surprise you at all?

Not really. We spent quite a bit of time with Andy in the studio, and you get quite familiar with people’s abilities. Not only is he a good guitar player, but he’s got a good ear and has good intuition musically. When the situation arose where Glenn had to raise his hand and pull back, Andy was the first contender. A big part of it was because we knew him. He, himself, has said he doesn’t want to be the new guitar player in Judas Priest. He just wants to help out in the live situation for Glenn. That’s a noble attitude to have. You know you’ve got the right man when the person doesn’t come in and want to take over and be the new guy. He loves and respects the band and is part of the family.

 

Andy has become known for resurrecting bands’ careers in recent years, and one of the ways he goes about it successfully is by telling whatever band he is working with to step aside and listen to the songs that got them there in the first place. Did he do anything similar that with Priest prior to heading into the studio to record “Firepower”?

I think it was a very conscience thing that we wanted to make an album in 2018, but there was no retrospective thought process going on where we said we wanted to recreate something. Andy is a fan of the band and knows there are different points in the band’s career that have certain motifs that we know and love. Tom (Allom) was part of the band’s creative team for so many years, he knew it first-hand what those motifs and characters were. So we didn’t really try step back to recreate anything, but if there was something that Scott would do on the drums and we’d go, “That sounds great. That sounds like a Les Binks (Judas Priest drummer from 1977-79), ‘Unleashed in the East’-style motif. And if worked, we kept it. Why not? It was part of the band’s heritage. We wanted to create a Judas Priest record, but one that was 2018, and I think we achieved that because of Tom and Andy.

 

Is that a production team you’d like to work with again in the future?

I don’t see why not. I don’t think the band had worked with two producers before. It could have gone horribly wrong, but it went fantastically well. We could do it again. One of the great things we did on this album — and I don’t think the band had done this since “Painkiller — was to get in a room together. Me, Glenn and Rob wrote the record and we had the demos of the songs, and then we all got in a room and played them together. We ironed out the creases, fed off the energy of the room, got the tempos right, and determined whether something needed to be cut or added. You could feel it. There was that fundamental feeling of playing together as a band. When the record button gets pushed, you’ve got all that amazing energy, you’ve ironed everything out and you know what to do. I think that’s something we can do moving forward. Andy and Tom were adamant that we do it that way.

 

Firepower” is great album and is some of the band’s best work in decades. What were you able to bring to the table with regard to song writing for the album?

The process was the same as “Redeemer of Souls” (2014) where me, Glenn and Rob got together. I think they’ve done that throughout their career, with two guitar players and Rob as the writing team. They were gracious and kept that the same when I joined the band. Giving me the opportunity to have a voice like that was amazing. I had a lot to bring to the table for “Firepower.” Now, that doesn’t mean we used them all, but I had a lot of ideas. Everyone did. When that happens, it breeds creativity. Some things made it, some things didn’t. There’s a lot to play with — a lot of brushes to use for the canvas.

 

Redeemer” was your first go-round in the studio with the band. What did you learn from that that you brought to the “Firepower” sessions?

The second time around, it was more important, but in a different way. Not that this was a more important album than the previous, but it was more of evolving as a guitar player, as a song writer, and being a part of the team and helping make a better sounding record.

 

The latest single and video, “No Surrender,” has a quintessential, “Rock Hard, Ride Free” sort of a vibe to it.

You’re absolutely right. It embodies that sort of “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming “sort of headspace of not backing down, and giving it your best shot and rising to the challenge. It’s quite a poignant song, especially since Glenn is having his challenges. It embodies that “no surrender” attitude of heavy metal. Any sort of struggle you’re going through, don’t give up. Push through it and give it your all. That’s what Priest has always been about for me. “Rock Hard, Ride Free” has that same sort of sentiment. It’s a positive song with a “take no crap” attitude, which I think is an important attitude to be having in 2018.

 

Steve Vai told me recently that, even on his level, he still has a lot to learn on guitar. Where do you think you stand at this point of your career as far as playing, songwriting and an artist overall?

That’s difficult man. Everything is subjective. I’ve never seen myself as nothing more than a little bit better-than-average guitar player. There are wizards out there. I just try to do … me. You can be a little bit better than average guitar player, but I think if you doing something unique to you, that’s the gift and the thing you should try and nurture. As far as writing is concerned, you just try to learn from the masters. Steve was right when he said you never stop learning on guitar. It’s the same thing with song writing. There are always new things to discover, and new things that can inspire you or introduce you to different styles. You keep pushing forward. It’s whatever inspires you. Some people might listen to Hendrix and think it’s awful, and other people listen to it and think he’s the best guitar player in the world. I’m with the second camp. It’s all so relative.

 

When you replaced original guitarist K.K. Downing in 2011, Priest was embarking on the “Epitaph Tour,” which was labeled as the last go-round for the band. To be blunt, things were stagnant. But your addition to the band refueled Priest and there have been two studio albums and tours since. According to a recent interview with Rob, there’s still plenty of fuel in the tank. Where does Judas Priest go from here?

Great question. The future looks bright. We thank the fans for the success of “Firepower.” It seems to be connecting around the world, and we have the fans to thank for that. Heavy metal is alive and well in 2018. We’ve got a platform to keep going if we want to. We’re all creative people in the band, so I don’t see why we would just stop being creative. But we don’t know what the future holds. After we’re through with the “Firepower” run in 2019, who knows? We can do another record. We have the songs in us. What direction this will take, who knows? It’s an exciting thing. We’re actually starting to throw questions around like, “What should we do next? Should it be this, or that? What are we feeling?” So it’s started. We’re creative people. You can’t help but be inspired by the people and cities around the world and the things that we’re hearing.

[treeduck]

Oh and I was sitting next to some drummer who was telling me how he was buddies with Scott Travis. He had grown up in Pittsburgh and played in some early bands with Paul Gilbert. He also said he drummed for Joey Belladonna until he gave it up in the early 90s. I briefly tried looking into him online but couldn't find anything substantial.

He was probably lying or wildly exaggerating.

He showed a number of pictures with them when he was younger. Face looked the same. And some recent video of Scott drumming filmed from some backstage area. He still sounded like he could have exaggerated it a bit but he seemed mostly legit

Why would he be carrying a load of old pictures to a concert?

[J2112YYZ]

Oh and I was sitting next to some drummer who was telling me how he was buddies with Scott Travis. He had grown up in Pittsburgh and played in some early bands with Paul Gilbert. He also said he drummed for Joey Belladonna until he gave it up in the early 90s. I briefly tried looking into him online but couldn't find anything substantial.

He was probably lying or wildly exaggerating.

He showed a number of pictures with them when he was younger. Face looked the same. And some recent video of Scott drumming filmed from some backstage area. He still sounded like he could have exaggerated it a bit but he seemed mostly legit

Why would he be carrying a load of old pictures to a concert?

 

I thought that at first too. But I believe you can convert old photos to a format where they can be put on a smartphone.

[treeduck]

Oh and I was sitting next to some drummer who was telling me how he was buddies with Scott Travis. He had grown up in Pittsburgh and played in some early bands with Paul Gilbert. He also said he drummed for Joey Belladonna until he gave it up in the early 90s. I briefly tried looking into him online but couldn't find anything substantial.

He was probably lying or wildly exaggerating.

He showed a number of pictures with them when he was younger. Face looked the same. And some recent video of Scott drumming filmed from some backstage area. He still sounded like he could have exaggerated it a bit but he seemed mostly legit

Why would he be carrying a load of old pictures to a concert?

 

I thought that at first too. But I believe you can convert old photos to a format where they can be put on a smartphone.

I completely forgot about that I'm still in the dark ages when it comes to phones. I'm still a landline landlubber!

Edited September 10, 2018 by treeduck

[treeduck]

Electric Eye and Tyrant have been returned to the setlist the last two gigs. Although Tyrant was only played in Charlotte. Metal Gods has been rested Electric Eye and No Surrender have replaced it once each in the encore, No Surrender in Charlotte and Electric Eye in Jacksonville. No Surrender has also been played in the main setlist now in Jacksonville and Camden NJ.

[treeduck]

[Turbine Freight]

Anyone read K.K.'s book yet?