Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner has shared an exciting progress report regarding the heavy metal legends’ highly anticipated next studio album. During a recent interview with Meltdown on Detroit’s WRIF radio station, he confirmed that the core instrumental foundation for the follow-up to 2024’s Invincible Shield is already complete.
“We got together in February, just outside Nashville, and did the same thing [as we did] with [2018’s] Firepower… We got together and we did the drum tracks together. We didn’t do it on Invincible Shield because of the restrictions around — [they had] just lifted the COVID restrictions, and we were on tour, so we had to fit the recordings around that. And so that was a bit different. But we got together, recorded the groundings for the record outside of Nashville. So we’ve got the drums done, we’ve got the bass done, we’ve got the guitars done. I did solo guitars in my studio at home. So it’s moving on. We’ve got the base for it. And, yeah, it’s sounding really cool,” Faulkner explained.
As fans eagerly await the new material, Judas Priest is preparing to release a massive career-spanning compilation. The Best Of Judas Priest is scheduled to arrive on June 19 via Sony Music. The collection celebrates the enduring legacy of a group that has shaped heavy metal for over fifty years, boasting more than 50 million albums sold worldwide and 2.5 billion global streams.
The band is also maintaining a heavy presence on the road. Judas Priest will spend the summer tearing through continental Europe, including a major festival stop at the UK’s Bloodstock Open Air on August 9 and a headline performance at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith on September 21.
Additionally, the band’s extensive history is currently being explored in a new documentary. Co-directed by Tom Morello and Sam Dunn, the film “The Ballad Of Judas Priest” premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and recently made its North American debut at Toronto’s Hot Docs festival on April 26. A wider public release is expected later this year.
The current Judas Priest touring lineup features legendary frontman Rob Halford, founding bassist Ian Hill, drummer Scott Travis, and the dual guitar attack of Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap.
