In 2011, British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST embarked on the "Epitaph" tour, their final massive world trek ever, but that doesn't mean the band is hanging it up. In fact, they're working on new music and singer Rob Halford told VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner what to expect from it.

"We have all the songs in our heads running right now as we're speaking to you, we can hear them," he said.

"It's coming along really well."

He continued: "We're in no rush. It'll be ready when it's ready. What we will say is we felt it was very important to follow up 'Nostradamus', the last release, and that was a concept experiment and it was a real success for us and the fans loved it, but I think our fans and ourselves as a band, we want to get back to the side of PRIEST that we haven't heard for a few years and reemphasize and remake those big, heavy metal statements again."

As for when fans can expect to get the new PRIEST album, Halford explained that he and his bandmates aren't going to set dates for themselves.

"I think that's the best way to approach it, because it would be wrong to say, 'On this date, at this moment, the record is coming out.' But where we're at now, we're very, very confident and, going out on a limb, I would say that we should have it wrapped up by the end of this year. We're forging ahead and everything's looking good, and yeah, it's looking right. So in the not-too-distant metal future, there will be new PRIEST to listen to."

 

Justin Tedaldi of Examiner.com recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford and guitarist Richie Faulkner. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Examiner.com: For the next project, I know you're all working on a new studio album. How's that coming along?

Halford: Fantastic. Really, really good. We've been saying that it's very important for PRIEST to kind of reinforce again a lot of the elements of what we do and what we're about to follow up from [the band's previous album] "Nostradamus". As much as that was a great moment for the band in the concept world, we want to get back to the roots of what we've been about for so many decades and just make one more great heavy metal album, meaning one of many. What we're trying to say is the next one is going to be a real hard and heavy and tough record.

Examiner.com: Are there any completed songs at this point?

Halford: Yeah. We have four tracks that we've got in the can. We're kind of looking at them again to see what else we can do, and the main reason we're saying that is because now we have Richie on board. And Richie's brought this great life, you know, this extra dimension of energy that has really been kind of infectious. We've all grown to love Richie as a player and as a songwriter, so he's added something new, and that's just kind of reenergized some areas that we're about. We've been writing a ton of material; we've got so much stuff in the can. We're tracking at the moment; we're just taking our time. It'll be ready when it's ready as we've been telling everybody, but it's a good message and a good signal to tell all the PRIEST fans that there's a new PRIEST record on the way.

Examiner.com: Will Richie be part of the writing process for the new PRIEST album?

Faulkner: Yeah. I take a recording rig out wherever I go; you never know where inspiration's going to hit you. When we were out on tour I took a little recording rig… sometimes when you're onstage playing, you get a little flash of inspiration when you [need] to scream into your phone or whatever. And the guys would be walking past, they'd hear it, and say, "Aww, that's a great riff, you've got to record that." So when we all got together — we got together for a couple of months last year in 2012, me, Glenn [Tipton] and Rob, and we threw all the ideas that we had in the hat, and we went from there, really. They've been great — you know, they could have just said, "This is the record we want you to play on," but they [said], "You're in the band and we want you to contribute," and they welcomed most of the ideas. It's just been a great creative team from the get-go, really. I've been a part of it and couldn't ask for anything more.

Read the entire interview from Examiner.com.

British heavy metal legends SAXON have completed recording their new album for a tentative February 2013 release. The follow-up to 2011's "Call To Arms" is scheduled to be mixed by British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, ACCEPT, NEVERMORE, EXODUS and ARCH ENEMY, among many others.

A new video podcast from the studio can be seen below.

SAXON in April released "Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder - Live - Eagles Over Wacken", the no-fat-no-bullshit-100%-pure CD/DVD featuring DVD highlights from the band's Wacken shows in 2004, 2007 and 2009 comprising thirty songs, plus a live CD from Glasgow in 2011. Each set captures the Barnsley-bred British heavy metal legends delivering classic after classic, from "Denim & Leather" to "Metalhead" to "Heavy Metal Thunder" to "Princess Of The Night" to "Crusader" in front of 75,000-pluds loyal, ravenous fans, who have come to expect (and receive) the levels of performance SAXON have been delivering for 32 years.

"Heavy Metal Thunder - Live - Eagles Over Wacken" is available in a variety of formats, including the Golden Ticket D2C/Direct To Consumer Box.

Strictly limited, this exclusive package contains the "Best Of Wacken" DVD, plus the full and complete SAXON Wacken Open Air performances from 2004/2007/2009 each on a separate DVD, plus a SAXON flag.

"Call To Arms" sold around 700 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 51 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. The digipack version of "Call To Arms" includes a glorious bonus — a free seven-track CD, "Live At Donington 1980".

Peter Hodgson of Gibson.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Richie Faulkner of British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Gibson.com: You've been in JUDAS PRIEST for over a year now and the fans seem to have welcomed you with open arms. How does that feel? Were you worried about how you'd be accepted?

Richie: I think that any big change in such a legendary band is going to bring a certain amount of skepticism and when people don't know the outcome, we tend to fear the worst. The band and me were sure that when the fans came to see us live, all fears would be put to bed. It astonishes, really, how the fans have welcomed me into the family and I feel honored to be accepted in the way that I have been. The great thing is, even though the fans didn't know how it was gonna be at first, they still believed in the band, got their tickets and came to see the show. When the opening song kicked in, all politics and uncertainty seemed to be blown out the door and everyone was just part of a huge family, ya know? Hats off to the fans for that and a massive thank you.

Gibson.com: How much lead-up did you have between getting the PRIEST gig and stepping on stage with them?

Richie: It was about a month before rehearsals started for the "Epitaph" tour that I got the gig. We rehearsed for two weeks and then flew out to L.A. to play on the finale of "American Idol". So my first show with the band was in front of nearly 30 million people! No pressure then guys, eh?! We then flew back to England again to continue rehearsing, so I think it was about two months in total before we played the first show of the "Epitaph" tour.

Gibson.com: Are you writing new material with PRIEST? And are you able to fit in your own musical pursuits at the moment?

Richie: We are working on a new album. Glenn [Tipton, guitar] and Rob [Halford, vocals] started writing material early 2011 before I joined the band, and I got together with them earlier this year to work on some more tracks with them. We're getting together again after the summer to do some more writing and if all goes to plan, we might have the album out early next year. The ideas we have so far are sounding very strong and very PRIEST, so watch this space!

Read the entire interview from Gibson.com.

Legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has been diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphocytes, a type of cell that forms part of the immune system.

Iommi, 63, is currently working with his doctors to establish the best treatment plan and remains upbeat and determined to make a full and successful recovery.

This comes as BLACK SABBATH — Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) — are writing and recording their first album in 33 years in Los Angeles (still set for release this fall) with producer Rick Rubin. They will now go to the U.K. to continue to work with Tony.

Iommi's BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL bandmate, legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio, died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

In a June 2010 interview, Iommi stated about his former bandmate, "I was talking to Ronnie [a few days before he died], and he said, 'I've gotta have this new chemo, but I think it's working.' And that was the real big shock of it, because within a week of that, he had passed away. So it was a big shock for all of us, because we built ourselves up to [have him beat the disease] and, of course, we didn't expect to lose."

According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, lymphoma is the name for many different types of cancer that arise in the lymphocytes (immune cells). Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage of the disease.

There are three types of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes (B cells), T lymphocytes (T cells) and natural killer (NK) cells. B lymphocytes make antibodies to fight infection; T lymphocytes have many functions, including helping B lymphocytes make the antibodies that fight infection; and natural killer cells attack cancer cells and viruses. Lymphoma may arise in any of these types of lymphocytes. In general, B-cell lymphomas are more common than T-cell lymphomas; however, in the skin, T-cell lymphomas are the most common type.

About 20 percent of the white cells in the blood are lymphocytes. Most lymphocytes are found in the lymphatic system, the major part of the body's immune system. The lymphatic system consists of a network of organs, including the spleen, the lymph nodes (small bean-shaped structures located throughout the body), the lymphatic vessels and areas in the gastrointestinal tract.

Lymphoma is divided into two major categories: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs), cancers of the T lymphocytes, constitute a rare group of NHLs that arise primarily in the skin and have various signs and symptoms, outcomes and treatment considerations.

British thrash metal veterans ONSLAUGHT will cross the Atlantic for their first-ever North American tour in March 2012. The three-week trek will see the band performing a setlist spanning all its studio albums — "Power From Hell", "The Force", "In Search Of Sanity", "Killing Peace" and their latest release, "Sounds Of Violence". Support on the dates will come from M-PIRE OF EVIL (formerly PRIMEVIL), the new band featuring former VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar), Antony "Antton" Lant (drums; brother of VENOM frontman Conrad "Cronos" Lant) and Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan (bass, vocals). Also appeaing on the bill for some devastating dates on the U.S. West Coast will be EVILDEAD.

Commented ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett: "Good morning, America. Here we are at very long last!

"ONSLAUGHT are super-fucking stoked to announce our debut tour of the mighty U.S. of A and Canada. It's been one hell of a long time coming, but we are now finally bringing the 'Scream For Violence' tour to North America for 20 shows in March and April 2012. Just as we did in Europe, the U.K. and South America, we'll be thrashing it up with a brutal 90-minute set featuring tracks off all five ONSLAUGHT studio albums. We can't fucking wait, guys. This is the sound of violence!"

The dates are as follows:

Mar. 19 - Seattle, WA - Studio 7
Mar. 20 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
Mar. 21 - Oakland, CA - The Pound
Mar. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Ecoplex
Mar. 23 - San Diego, CA - Jumping Turtle
Mar. 24 - Tempe, AZ - 910 Live
Mar. 26 - San Antonio, TX - The Korova
Mar. 27 - Laredo, TX – [to be announced]
Mar. 29 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar
Mar. 30 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
Mar. 31 - Dayton, OH - House of Rock
Apr. 01 - Detroit, MI - Blondies
Apr. 03 - Toronto, ON - Wrek Room
Apr. 04 - Montreal, QC - The Katacombs
Apr. 06 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
Apr. 07 - Brooklin, NY - Saint Vitus Bar

A promotional video for the tour can be seen below.

ONSLAUGHT recruited Michael Hourihan (EXTREME NOISE TERROR, DESECRATION) to play the drums following the recent departure of Steve Grice.

ONSLAUGHT's fifth album, "Sounds Of Violence", was released in January via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2007's "Killing Peace" was recorded and mixed at Hansen Studio in Ribe, Denmark with acclaimed Danish producer Jacob Hansen (RAUNCHY, MERCENARY, VOLBEAT, HEAVEN SHALL BURN).

Jim Beal Jr. of MySanAntonio.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Glenn Tipton of British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On having JUDAS PRIEST songs covered by bands from SEPULTURA to THE DONNAS, from ANNIHILATOR to KREATOR:

"A lot of bands cite JUDAS PRIEST as influences. The best compliment we've ever had was our music is timeless. It's something to be proud of. But we've never really known what we're doing."

On the key to JUDAS PRIEST's early success:

"You never really know what's going to happen. I'd been in a lot of local bands. When it was suggested Judas Priest pull in another player, we joined forces. I immediately knew something special had occurred, especially as writers."

"It's all about the song. Visually, you have to look good on stage and you have to be good players, you have to rely on the guitar players to be good soloists, but there has to be a reason for that solo break to be there. It should be all about the composition, all about the song. The music has to complement what's already there. The song is the most important thing. A band is really only as good as its songs. Every now and then, with a combination of writers, we struck a chord with listeners. We've always been proud to be a metal band, but the songs are easy to relate to. But you can't pat yourselves on the back and say you deliberately wrote these songs. We've recorded 17 studio albums and performed for millions of people and we've always evolved."

On founding JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing's decision to leave the band and Downing's replacement, Richie Faulkner:

"Ken was having a lot of problems with his wrists. He was really struggling on the last tour. When he decided to retire from the band we were pretty much in shock. We waited three months to see what would happen. We decided if we could find the right guy we'd go on. We contacted quite a few guitar players. Richie stepped into the band and it's like he was always there. He does the essence of what Ken did, but in his own way. It's been wonderful, really, but nobody wanted to see Ken go."

On JUDAS PRIEST's twin-guitar work:

"That's also something that's evolved. It's obvious when one takes a lead guitar break, the other backs him up. We worked very hard throughout the years and it evolved. We always wanted to experiment. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

On JUDAS PRIEST's current "Epitaph" tour:

"With 17 studio albums, we decided to play at least one track off each album. This is our last world tour. It takes 18 months to stage a world tour. After 40 years, we decided it's possibly time to pull back a little bit. It's not absolutely the end of the band. I'd say perhaps it's the beginning of the end."

Read more from MySanAntonio.com.

 

JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford fell off the motorcycle he famously rides onto the stage at the end of each show during last night's (Thursday, September 15) concert at Ginásio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil. Fan-filmed video footage of the incident can be seen below.

On the last show of the tour supporting PRIEST's 1990 "Painkiller" album, Halford was knocked off the motorcycle he by a misplaced prop. He broke his nose and was rendered unconscious, causing him to miss the last song of what would be his final show with the band for more than a decade.

In an interview with Hellbound, Halford stated about his nightly ritual of cruising out on stage on a motorcycle, "The whole association with motorcycles and JUDAS PRIEST goes back to 'Hell Bent for Leather' — whenever that song was written... When we were touring in England, we thought that it would be cool if we could bring the bike on stage when we did the song, as it seemed like the right thing to do. So when we would go to a city we would ask one of our crew to see if there were any motorcycle guys or girls that had parked their bikes and could we use their bikes and give them a couple of T-shirts, or buy them a drink and that type of thing.

"When we got to America, we basically asked our management company to contact Harley-Davidson and told them what we wanted to do. They were really excited about the association of their bikes with this heavy metal band from the UK. They gave us the 1981 low-rider for a dollar. Prior to that, they would give us Harley's and then we would give them back at the end of the tour. The official one that you see now, which has been customized — the frame, the wheels, the engine all the internal stuff are the original components. So we have had that bike since then."

Regarding the connection between motorcycles and rock and roll, Halford said, "In my mind, in talking about the United States, it’s all about Harley-Davidson. There has just been this ongoing relationship in rock and roll with Harley for as long as I can remember. The roots of motorcycles and rock and roll culture goes back all the way to Marlon Brando in that movie 'On The Waterfront' I think that it is still relevant in today's rock world. I've seen guys like AVENGED SEVENFOLD in other metal bands that are using bikes on stage. The MÖTLEY CRÜE boys are using bikes in their videos. We are using bikes in our videos but Harley-Davidson is the most important brand for us. They are American and the represent America, even though for awhile Harleys were made in Japan, which was a bit unusual but eventually they moved back to the States where they belonged.

"Harleys are the perfect American motorcycle to be associated with rock and roll music. And I've always said that the Harleys are synonymous with heavy metal because like heavy metal, Harleys are big and loud and brash and they smell and they piss some people off, and they have all the same attributes that heavy metal does. So it's a very close correlation between rock and roll, heavy metal and motorcycles. It's the independence, the rebel streak — all of those are attached to being on a Harley."

 

Gary Graff of Billboard.com conducted an interview with singer Rob Halford of British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the band's next album:

Halford: [Guitarist Glenn Tipton and I] began writing new music early on this year, before we went out on the road. We have about 12 or 14 tracks completely mapped out, four of which have been recorded and mixed and are ready to go... so the good news is that there will be a brand new PRIEST record next year."

"I think it's fair to say that this is going to be just another great, traditional British heavy metal album from PRIEST with what you love about the band -- the riffs, the screaming vocals, all of the tradition and heritage that we try to keep somehow in our music as we've moved along."

On JUDAS PRIEST's ongoing "Epitaph" farewell world tour:

Halford: [We are] taking every opportunity to let our fans know this is not the end of JUDAS PRIEST. We're just cutting back on these big, long treks around the world that we love to do. But yet we're facing mortality; as a metal singer I'm still able to do the vast majority of things that have laid out before me...but I'd be the first to admit that I'm finding it more challenging now, and I don't want to get into that syndrome where you end up a little bit punch-drunk and you're not giving the performance that you want to give. I'm delighted that we're taking this approach because the inevitable payoff is that it gives the band more life. We're able to continue doing selective shows in the future and, as importantly, keep recording and making new metal records."

On possibly playing a live show based on PRIEST's 2008 concept album "Nostradamus":

Halford: "That is a very important record for us. We had a big-picture aspect of what we wanted to do with 'Nostradamus' in mind — of course, to play it in its entirety, which is completely feasible — and because we are cutting back on these intense tours we can focus more on that."

On how guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing's departure is comparable to his own time away from the band between 1992 and 2003:

"PRIEST has always been there. PRIEST has never been away. The attitude is that the band is bigger than you. The music and the heritage and the tradition of the band is bigger than one member of the group. That's really important to think about, you know?"

On Downing's replacement, Richie Faulkner:

Halford: "[He is] a phenomenal talent [and] a tremendous boost and a relief as well. There are a lot of different feelings we went through, But Richie is out there night after night, tearing up the stage and delivering the goods, as we like to say."

Read more from Billboard.com.
 

British heavy metal legends SAXON have scheduled the following U.S. tour dates:

Sep. 28 – West Hollywood, CA - The Key Club
Sep. 29 - Santa Rosa, CA - The Last Day Saloon
Sep. 30 - Sacramento, CA - The Boardwalk
Oct. 01 - Santa Clara, CA - The Avalon
Oct. 02 - Santa Ana, CA - The Galaxy
Oct. 07 - San Antonio, TX - Sunken Garden
Oct. 08 - Saint Charles (Chicago), IL - The Arcada Theatre
Oct. 13 - New York, NY - B. B. King Blues Club & Grill
Oct. 14 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Oct. 15 - Baltimore, MD - Bourbon Street

More shows will be announced soon.
 

"Call To Arms", the new album from British heavy metal legends SAXON, will be released in North America on September 27, with distribution from EMI. More details will be made available soon.

"Call To Arms" was issued in Europe via Militia Guard Music, UDR and EMI. Recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, U.K. and Brighton Electric Studios in Brighton, U.K., the 11-track album was co-produced by singer/songwriter Biff Byford and Toby Jepson (LITTLE ANGELS). Featuring Byford on lead vocals, Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitars, Nibs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums, "Call To Arms" is bang on-the-money brilliant SAXON music, a confident embrace of the aura and writing values from their early years married perfectly to a modern SAXON crunch.

"This is probably the best album we've written and recorded in the last 20 years," stated Biff Byford unapologetically. "I know a lot of bands say that, but 'Call To Arms' really does feel like that to me. It's the perfect embrace of our past with a great modern edge."

Between the furious riffage of "Hammer Of The Gods" all the way through to "Ballad Of The Working Man", SAXON also found time to invite fans to sing on the nostalgic stomp of "Back In '79" thanks to a Byford brainwave the night before recording.

"We put something up on our website 24 hours before recording the track in Brighton, and funnily enough we had exactly 79 people show up on time to sing on the song," Biff said. "It was a fantastic result which is a direct tribute to 'Denim & Leather' where we did the same exact thing."

There is also a guest appearance from keyboard legend Don Airey (RAINBOW, ELO, OZZY OSBOURNE, DEEP PURPLE) on "When Doomsday Comes".

"Call To Arms" track listing:

01. Hammer Of The Gods
02. Back In '79
03. Surviving Against The Odds
04. Mists Of Avalon
05. Call To Arms
06. Chasing The Bullet
07. Afterburner
08. When Doomsday Comes (Hybrid Theory)
09. No Rest For The Wicked
10. Ballad Of The Working Man
11. Call To Arms (orchestral version)

"Hammer Of The Gods" video:

On May 11, Paolo Bianco of Italy's Musica Metal conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford about the departure of the band's founding member, Kenneth "K.K." Downing; the addition of 31-year-old guitarist Richie Faulkner (LAUREN HARRIS, DIRTY DEEDS); and the group's upcoming "Epitaph" farewell tour. Several excerpts from the chat follow below (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET from the original 15-minute audio, which can be streamed at this location).

On what it feels like to be back playing with JUDAS PRIEST again after taking some time off in 2010:

Halford: "It always feels like it never ended. It feels like the metal has never stopped, which is a great feeling. When we're back in each other's company, and we turn the amps on and the songs start to be played, it's just magic — it's metal magic. And all the ingredients that make good metal are still very much in place — all the passion and the belief and the power of what we do in PRIEST as metal players. It's all good. And, of course, this is exciting because we're doing songs that we've never done before for this show. We're also doing some songs from a long, long time ago that we haven't played for many, many years. So the setlist is gonna be very unusual; it's very much a celebration of the life of PRIEST and music live on stage."

On the new JUDAS PRIEST guitarist, Richie Faulkner:

Halford: "We've been very, very lucky to find a guitar player like Richie, because he's a top man. He really loves metal, he loves PRIEST, and he's got all the parts [down], he knows everything, he knows exactly what he needs to do, and he learned a lot of songs in a very short span of time. So I think that just shows his caliber as a top guitar player. I think he probably still can't believe it's happening. [Laughs] So, yeah, we're very lucky and we're very happy that we found Richie. I think if we hadn't found Richie, we wouldn't be coming back to Italy; we would have had to cancel the tour and think about what to do next. But Richie is doing fantastically well, he's very excited about coming to all these different parts of the world and especially to come and play our own unique style of metal in Italy at the Milan show."

On whether JUDAS PRIEST will do any touring after the release of the band's next studio album:

Halford: "We've never followed the rules in PRIEST and we've always done what we wanted to do. We feel that it's important to make another great British metal-style classic album. So that's coming out next year. All the songwriting is completed. Me and Glenn [Tipton, guitar] wrote all the music. And we've got three tracks that are mixed and mastered and ready to go, so we're trying to figure out the best way to let them out to our fans. And we'll maybe play one or two of them live on this tour anyway, just to whet everybody's appetite and get everybody ready for the full release. So we've got a new record coming out, and that'll probably come out in the summer next year."

On whether he feels a sense of sadness knowing that the band may not be doing any more touring after the "Epitaph" tour:

Halford: "No, I don't think so. And we don't want the fans to feel sad; we want the fans to celebrate with us. I mean, everything comes to an end one way or another; that's just life. The great thing about PRIEST metal music is the metal music will live forever, and that's all that really matters to us in the band. Of course, the fans are the most important part of the life of PRIEST, so I think it's very important that all the Italian metalheads come to see this show. I'm sure at some point we would love to come back to Italy. It's just that there's some uncertainty now about a lot of things as far as the places that we will play and we may not return to. So it's very important that all of our fans come and see the show and have a great time and celebrate the life of PRIEST through the music together."

On whether he can see himself retiring from the music scene:

Halford: "Well, as a singer, you just have to face reality. You can sing forever, but the quality of your voice changes. And it's important for me to know that when I go on stage I can do the work I need to do and do my parts really well. As long as I can do that, I wanna keep doing it. I'm just being cautious. I don't know how long this voice is gonna last. But at the same time, I, personally, am not gonna say, 'By 2015, I' m gonna finish, I'm gonna stop,' because I don't think I can do that. It's not in my system. I love metal too much to say, 'By this time, I'm gonna stop doing the metal work.' One way or another, I think all of us in PRIEST will stay connected to metal; that's important for us all. . . We're just dealing with the physical situation as much as anything else. I mean, we're all in great shape. I think the feeling is 'Let's keep doing it while we're still able to do it as well it needs to be done.' And, as we said, this isn't goodbye; this is just farewell. This is another massive, massive, very intense world tour for PRIEST. We're just gonna slow things down a little bit now."

JUDAS PRIEST's "Epitaph" world tour will kick off on June 7 in Tilburg, Holland.

Downing issued a statement last month regarding his departure from the legendary heavy metal group on the eve of its farewell tour. Downing said, "It is with much regret that I will not be with you this summer. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your concerns about my health. Please rest assured that I am OK. There has been an ongoing breakdown in (the) working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time. Therefore I have decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to you, our cherished fans. However, I would urge you to please support the PRIEST as I have no doubt that it will be a show not to be missed."
 

On May 9, longtime Spanish heavy metal journalist Rafa Basa of RafaBasa.com conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford about the departure of the band's founding member, Kenneth "K.K." Downing; the addition of 31-year-old guitarist Richie Faulkner (LAUREN HARRIS, DIRTY DEEDS); and the group's upcoming "Epitaph" farewell tour. Several excerpts from the chat follow below (transcribed exclusively by BLABBERMOUTH.NET from the original 27-minute audio, which can be streamed at the bottom of this article).

On why JUDAS PRIEST has chosen to embark on a farewell tour at this point in the band's career:

Halford: "I think we're just being very careful. We wanna be able to still do these big shows and to still give out the same kind of power and energy that we've always been able to do. And so, 40 years later, we're doing that really successfully and we feel that we would like this to be a kind of celebration of many, many things about JUDAS PRIEST and give the fans a really, really great metal show. And then maybe just take things easier next time, you know, because… I wish we were all immortal. [Laughs] Metal is immortal [Laughs], but I don't feel immortal. It's a lot of reasons, and it happens to everybody in one way or another. I think metal touring is very, very difficult. I mean, you've got all the travelling to do and you don't get much sleep. And it's different on your body all these years later. PRIEST is famous for these very big, long grueling tours, and we just wanna still be able to make our shows, but we just wanna be able to kind of enjoy them and put on a great performance. But just kind of kick back a little bit and enjoy the golden metal years and still be with our fans, but just on a different level now."

On whether the next PRIEST studio album will be similar to the band's last CD, "Nostradamus" (2008), or if it will be a return to a classic PRIEST album format along the lines of "Angel Of Retribution" (2005):

Halford: "Well, I can tell you that it's gonna be a very strong, powerful, solid heavy metal album with all of the famous things people love about PRIEST — all the big sledgehammer heavy metal riffs from Birmingham and the screaming vocals. And it's just a very straightforward record as far as looking at our past and all of the wonderful things that we've done in heavy metal — from 'British Steel' to 'Painkiller' to 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'. We've got this wonderful heritage in our music, so I think we're just letting our heart lead us on this record. It's not as complicated or as complex in the arrangements as 'Nostradamus' was and I think we always felt that it would have been wrong to finish the recording side of PRIEST with 'Nostradamus'; we felt it was very important to kind of re-focus and put the metal in its place that we're most famous for, and I think that's what we're gonna do with this new record. It's coming out next year. It's almost completed. A lot of the songs have been already written, not fully recorded, but all of the arrangements have been made. That's the time-consuming part — the actual writing of the songs and then getting the arrangements right and all the pieces into place. And then when you go in the studio, the studio is generally a pretty straightforward operation. But we're excited, yeah. It's kind of unusual, isn't it?! 'Cause it's farewell, but it's full of new things; we have a new show, new costumes, new setlist and that's we've always tried to do for our fans and for ourselves — to make every tour special, and that's definitely the case with this one."

On the future of JUDAS PRIEST after the "Epitaph" tour:

Halford: "It's a very open set of opportunities, of course. We will still be making shows, we won't be going out on these long, massive world tours as much. But we'll still be getting together every now and again and doing a festival here and there. Personally, I don't see any reason why we need to stop the writing and the recording, because that's always a great joy and pleasure and it's not as stressful and difficult, physically and mentally, as a tour. So yeah, the future is not really laid out for certain, but I guess we'll just be and do what we've always tried to do as a metal band, which is, in one way or another, still keep recording and still do some shows."

On what it means to him to be working on a new JUDAS PRIEST studio album at this point in the band's career:

Halford: "I think it's just another testament to the self-belief we have as a band. We still feel that we've got something to say. We still feel that we've got important things to display in our music, especially. And so, for a brand new studio album to come this far on in our career, I think it's a wonderful achievement, and I think it's just letting our fans, especially, see that the things that are important to us — the passion of metal and the power of metal — is still alive inside of us and we still get a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from making metal songs and recording them and putting on a show. That's not changed. I think in our hearts we wish we could do this forever. [Laughs] It's like your favorite soccer player; you wish he could keep playing the game forever, but eventually you have to be realistic and sensible and say, 'This has been great. I'm still gonna do a few things — maybe do some coaching.' Still stay in the mix of metal. But life goes on and things change. But like I said, we hope that people will see this as a time to celebrate, with a lot of new experiences. We're celebrating a lot of great moments from our past, but we're also looking forward to the future."

On K.K. Downing's statement that his departure from JUDAS PRIEST was brought on in part by "an ongoing breakdown in [the] working relationship between [him], elements of the band, and the band's management":

Halford: "Well, I'm sure you've been around a lot of bands in your life as a journalist and I'm sure you've heard a lot of stories about the creative differences that happen in a group, and you always overcome them. It's not easy being in a band; it's a very difficult, temperamental machine, because you're dealing with very emotional people, very talented people, and so you have your ups and your downs. I think that in the light of all of the excitement and the confusion over the last few weeks, a lot of the things have been kind of distorted out of the fact. I don't really know why K.K. said what he said in his press release. I think maybe K.K. himself was feeling very emotional and very kind of… I don't know… maybe retrospective about all of the things that have been going on in PRIEST for the last few years. . . If you go onto his web site today, he put up a new press release and he says, you know, he's had a great time and he's not feeling bitter, he's not feeling in any other way than feeling just very satisfied and complete that he's done all the things that he wants to do. And I think that's great. I think K.K.'s really answered a lot of questions for a lot of people. But I think it was unfair to single out the bandmembers and I think it was unfair to single out management as the reason why he left, because it was more than that. And so there you go. We're all separate, individual people that all have lives to live and all have different needs and choices to be made, and this is the one that K.K.'s gone with. And we love him dearly; he'll always be in the spirit of JUDAS PRIEST. We wish things were different, but they're not, so we have to look forward and be positive and be excited about the shows that we're gonna do and a great new guitar player, Richie. JUDAS PRIEST is not just one person, JUDAS PRIEST is the whole experience, and we've always felt that way. Even when I was away from the band, JUDAS PRIEST carried on. So this is what we're gonna do — we're gonna be strong and we're gonna put on some powerful shows and we're gonna celebrate and have some great metal experiences together again."

On why K.K. couldn't wait until after the "Epitaph" tour to leave the band:

Halford: "It's a great question. I can't answer it. You have to get in touch with K.K. and ask him that question, 'cause I can't answer it. I think we've tried to be as honest and as straightforward as we can be on both sides of the discussion, and it is very emotional. I mean, you could just as easily [have asked] that same question — which you may have done — when I was away from the band, and Ripper, my good friend Ripper, was holding the mic for me. You just have to carry on. I think more than anything, it's just kind of difficult, 'cause it's a farewell tour. Why is it happening now? Well, you've got no control over life, have you? [Laughs] You can't control life and these things happen. So you just have to accept them and see what your options are. So that's the way it is. Of course, it will never be the same without K.K., like I'm sure a lot of people said it was never the same without me. But you can't just grind to a halt, you can't just stop everything — that would be ridiculous. We have obligations to our fans and to promoters and to everybody else, and to our record company, and we wanna fulfill them and be professional and do the right thing, which is what I think we are doing."

On how he feels personally about K.K.'s departure from the band:

Halford: "I just feel very sad that this whole episode has taken place at the time that it has. I think that we're all dealing with it differently. I love Ken like a brother; we've been in each other's lives for over 40 years. And we're all still good friends; that's the important thing. It doesn't matter about the breakdown in the communication or the creative differences; that's just part of being in a band. The friendship and the caring for each other, that doesn't go away. It should never go away. Because we've been through too much together and you can't let differences of opinion over different incidents and different moments, you can't let that affect your long-term-standing relationship, business-wise and personal-wise, you can't let that get destroyed; that would be a terrible thing to do. So you just respect each other, you respect each other's choices and you respect each other's decisions. And I'm sure that at some point K.K. will probably want to be a little bit more open about his reasons for departing PRIEST; that's entirely up to K.K. We've made it clear that we're not speaking for K.K.; we can only speak for ourselves and what we need to do. So there you go — that's about as much as we can really offer to the press and to our fans at this point."

On what fans can expect from the upcoming tour:

Halford: "Well, I think, looking at the history and the tradition of PRIEST, whenever we've gone out on these world tours, we've tried to do something different, so we do have a brand new stage set, light show, we've got some special effects that we're bringing back in terms of pyro and lights and lasers and flames and all these other great, crazy things that you love about metal that we haven't used in a while; we're bringing all those back. I think the setlist is the most exciting part, because we're trying to do everything from all of our music, so it really is a celebration of the music of PRIEST as much as anything else — right from 'Rocka Rolla' all the way up to maybe a track from the brand new record. So that's quite special and unique; we've never done before that for our fans. New stage, new costumes, new songs… it's just gonna be a really special event. . . The fact that we've said we're gonna try to do something from every record is already creating a lot of excitement and people are looking at the songs and going, 'I wonder, will they do this song?' or 'I wonder, will they do that song?' So I think we wanna keep that as a surprise until the first few shows because obviously when the first few shows start to happen, it will be all over the Internet and everybody will know. But we are actually rehearsing a lot of songs, so we're gonna try to mix it up. We're gonna try to put on… maybe one song will be not in the setlist one night, so maybe we'll put two more in another night. So it will be quite varied. It's important, I think, to try and keep an element of surprise; it just gives you something to look forward to."

On the decision to hire a relatively unknown guitar player, Richie Faulkner, to replace K.K. Downing:

Halford: "I think it would have diluted the moment if we would have gone with one of our friends. We know some very famous metal guitar players and I'm sure that they would have said, 'Yeah, I'll help you out if you need the help.' But I think we wanted to give this moment its own special feeling. Obviously, nobody can replace K.K. entirely, so I think we worked really hard to find someone of the same caliber and with the same kind of discipline and guitarmanship as K.K.'s always displayed, and I think we found that in Richie. Richie's been around for awhile; he's already had a successful career up until this point with his solo activities and some of the other bands that he's worked with. But this is a big leap for Richie to go into a band like PRIEST. And he's gonna be the right man for the job, you know. It is gonna be a tremendously exciting moment for Richie as a player. I can only imagine what's going on in his mind. I suppose it's the same as when Ripper walked out each night; you just have to go out and do your very best, and that's what Richie's gonna do. I think he's gonna show the metal world that he's a very competent, exciting player that's gonna not only be able to do the parts he needs to play but also inject his own special style and technique. And I think the metal fans are really grateful that Richie's there, because if Richie was not in the spot, this tour would have been canceled. So, yeah, it's gonna be tremendous for Richie to be able to do what's gotta do and he's gonna do it really well. And I think the fans are gonna love him."

On how it will feel seeing Richie in K.K.'s spot on stage:

Halford: "Yeah, I think K.K. felt the same when he looked to the left and saw Ripper [Laughs], he didn't see me. So history repeats itself, doesn't it? Emotionally, it's always very challenging to deal with these types of things, but you just have to accept the facts and this is it now; this is the way that PRIEST is looking and the band is still together. I know we've always said JUDAS PRIEST is not just one member; JUDAS PRIEST is the whole combination of players coming together to make the sounds of PRIEST, and we have 100 percent faith that Richie can do that part. So we're excited about the shows that we're gonna and the way that we're gonna display ourselves."

Rafa Basa's entire 27-minute interview with Rob Halford can be streamed using the audio player below.


 

The Artisan News Service conducted a short interview with JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis at the third annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which took place last night (Wednesday, April 20) at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, California. When asked for an update on the just-announced departure of the band's original guitarist, K.K. Downing, Travis replied, "The update is in the press release [which came out Wednesday morning], so you know as much as I do. But you have to have the burning desire in your heart, in my opinion, to play heavy metal music."

He added, "We all start at a young age and it's not because of money, fame or girls — you start because you love the music. So if he's not feeling that anymore, then I give him props for taking himself out of the game, basically."

When asked about the remaining JUDAS PREST members' decision to go ahead with their previously announced tour plans with a replacement guitarist — 31 year-old British guitar player Richie Faulkner (LAUREN HARRIS, DIRTY DEEDS) — Travis said, "It's never an easy decision to replace any longtime bandmember, but PRIEST is almost like its own machine, and the fans want PRIEST to continue, we want it to continue, and we have to go on. K.K.… I can't speak for him, but we have to go on; that's all."

Downing released a statement earlier today blaming his departure from JUDAS PRIEST on "an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time." He added that he "decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to . . . our cherished fans."

Steven Patrick of Uweekly.com recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST/HALFORD frontman Rob Halford. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Uweekly.com: Pat Lachman, he was one of your guitarists in HALFORD, who went on to front the band DAMAGEPLAN. This being a Columbus, Ohio, paper and the Dimebag tragedy still fresh in our memory, I'm sure metal fans in the area would like to know how he's doing and what he's up to. Do you stay in contact with him?

Halford: I'll be seeing Pat soon. I think he's living in Dallas now. I got an e-mail from him the other day and I hope to be seeing him in the next couple of weeks. I don't really know what he's doing musically, but when I see him I'll be asking him obviously. He's an incredibly talented guitar player, but a great voice as well. I certainly hope he's still working. He's got everything that he needs to be a great metal musician.

Uweekly.com: I wouldn't be able to call myself a metal fan if I didn't ask about the news that JUDAS PRIEST will be doing a farewell tour in 2011. What brought that on? Was it just time?

Halford: Yeah, I think it's time, you know. We're not the first band to say farewell, it's just the way everyone comes to at some point and we're gonna say a few more things early next year, so I think the main thing that we just want to ask everybody to consider is don't be sad about this, start celebrating and rejoicing over all the great things we've done in JUDAS PRIEST.

Uweekly.com: Does this news mean that HALFORD will be getting more of your attention in the future?

Halford: Yeah, I've always said regardless of anything else that's going on when time permits and when there's no conflict with PRIEST, I love to do what I do with the HALFORD band, so that really hasn't changed at all.

Read the entire interview at Uweekly.com.

MOTÖRHEAD will embark on a North American headlining tour in late January. So far the following dates have been announced:

Jan. 25 - Anaheim CA - House of Blues
Jan. 28 - Reno NV - Knitting Factory
Jan. 29 - Las Vegas NV - HOB
Jan. 31 - San Diego CA - HOB
Feb. 02 - San Francisco CA - Warfield
Feb. 04 - Seattle WA - Sodo
Feb. 05 - Portland OR - Roseland
Feb. 07 - Vancouver BC - Vogue
Feb. 09 - Edmonton AL - EEC
Feb. 10 - Calgary AL - Flames Central
Feb. 12 - Winnipeg MT - Burton
Feb. 15 - Minneapolis MN - 1st Ave
Feb. 16 - Milwaukee WI - Rave Ballroom
Feb. 17 - Kansas City MO - Midland Theatre
Feb. 19 - Chicago IL - Congress
Feb. 20 - St. Louis MO - Pops
Feb. 22 - Grand Rapids MI - Orbit
Feb. 23 - Detroit MI - Royal Oak
Feb. 25 - Kitchener ONT - Elements
Feb. 26 - Toronto ONT - Koolhouse
Feb. 28 - New York NY - Best Buy
Mar. 01 - Boston MA - House of Blues (Avalon)
Mar. 03 - Sayerville NJ - Starland Ballroom
Mar. 04 - Atlantic City NJ - House of Blues
Mar. 08 - Austin TX - Stubb's
Mar. 10 - Tempe AZ - Marquee Theatre
Mar. 11 - Los Angeles CA - Nokia Live

MOTÖRHEAD's new album, "The Wörld Is Yours", will be released in North America on February 8, 2011.

Audio samples of all the tracks that appear on "The Wörld Is Yours", can be found on Amazon.de (scroll down).

"The Wörld Is Yours" is a vital, scorching statement of intent from MOTÖRHEAD as they launch Motörhead Music, their very first record label.

Written and performed by Lemmy Kilmister, Philip Campbell and Mikkey Dee in both Los Angeles, California and Wales, with production once again by Cameron Webb, "The Wörld Is Yours" serves to remind everyone that you should never stop questioning or critiquing a society that would surely chew you up and spit you if given half a chance. And with 10 soul-scorching testaments to the unbridled power this world-famous trio continually maintain, "The Wörld Is Yours" delivers some of the finest, most important Motörmusic yet.

On instant classics such as "Get Back In Line", Kilmister thunders that "The way we are is not the way we used to be my friend," and "We are trapped in luxury, starving on parole, no-one told us who to love, we have sold our souls," whilst on "Brotherhood Of Man" Kilmister roars "You cannot hide the truth from me I know what?s in your heart, greed and jealousy each equal, all your days now dark." And with the defiant, uproarious "Rock 'N' Roll Music", Kilmister and Co. remind everyone that "rock and roll music is the true religion" and "rock and roll even gonna set you free, make the lame walk and the blind see."

Recorded during the late spring, the album's creation was thrown into turmoil by the poor health and sad eventual passing of Philip Campbell's father; the situation dictated that Philip needed to be home during some of the scheduled recording time, so MOTÖRHEAD hired a studio in Wales where Campbell was able to continue working on ideas and record tracks whilst first Mikkey and Lemmy, and then just Lemmy, laid down the rest of the album in L.A. But being MOTÖRHEAD, nothing fazed them, and with "The Wörld Is Yours" the band have triumphed over adversity to produce an absolute stormer of an album.

"The Wörld Is Yours" track listing:

01. Born To Lose
02. I Know How To Die
03. Get Back In Line
04. Devil's In My Head
05. Rock 'N' Roll Music
06. Waiting For The Snake
07. Brotherhood Of Man
08. Outlaw
09. I Know What You Need
10. Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye

George Varga of SignOnSanDiego.com recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST/HALFORD frontman Rob Halford. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

SignOnSanDiego.com: Does it feel like the start of a new chapter with the second decade of the HALFORD band starting, and the looming end of an old chapter, with JUDAS PRIEST having recently announced its farewell tour in 2011?

Halford: I suppose the way I perceive my life as a musician is that I'll just continue doing what I've always done. Of course, the bulk of my metal life has been with JUDAS PRIEST, and, yes, we are making this farewell tour next year and probably into 2012. But we do have a few more things we want to say. What we'd rather do, for the time being, is let this information settle, because its very big news for a lot of fans. So, we want to let the firestorm settle down. For all intents and purposes, it is the farewell tour.

SignOnSanDiego.com: Why?

Halford: I don't know, really. It really is for a lot of reasons. I suppose retirement or slowing down, if you want to call it that, I don't know. I think you have to face mortality, that's for sure. Some bands keep going and going, some bands ease off a bit, and some bands stop altogether. It happens to all bands, eventually, and now this is something we're facing in JUDAS PRIEST. So, what we want to do is leave on what we feel are respectable terms, musically.

SignOnSanDiego.com: But JUDAS PRIEST is still playing well and sounding good and continues to be popular around much of the world. Why quit now?

Halford: It's what I call the "Muhammad Ali syndrome." If you get in the ring too much, the whole thing can become really sad to look at and listen to. And you have to ensure that doesn't happen as a musician, especially in the extreme world of heavy metal, because it's very demanding to carry these old bodies all over the place. You try to do the things you could easily do 30 years ago and it's not so easy. What we would like our fans to do is consider that this something to celebrate and not feel sad or depressed about. It won't be all over in a flash.

SignOnSanDiego.com: Does this mean you'll be cutting back from performing with the HALFORD band, too?

Halford: I don't really know. Again, in regards to the comment I made regarding making sure you can go into it and give the kind of performance you do, without letting the fans down — I'm having a great time. Vocally, I'm very strong; I have a lot of energy and I'm doing all the things that are important. So, it's only right to treat both bands respectfully and differently. So, my intention, no matter where I go and what I do, is to keep making metal on personal level.

Read the entire interview from SignOnSanDiego.com.