New Judas Priest Album Is Finished

Rob Halford: Metal God

The British icons have been somewhat vague on the progress of album number 17 recently, but Rob has confirmed that the album is finished and that life is good in the Priest camp.

“The record is absolutely finished as of today,” he tells Artisan news. “It’s a relief, because whenever Priest make an album you put your heart and soul into it. It’s not an easy thing to do 40 years later.

“But Priest has always been up for the challenge of that. It’s one of the things we love to do more than anything else. This is a great time – 40th anniversary, a brand new record. Life couldn’t be better.”

While the band are in good spirits, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a full world tour for the new album, with the band seemingly retiring from full-time touring duties. Rob made a special appearance at the third annual Ronnie James Dio Awards Gala in LA on Monday night.

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.