Titpton hails Priest 'miracle'

Veteran Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton says the way new man Ritchie Faulkner fitted into songwriting sessions is nothing short of a "miracle."

Former Lauren Harris axeman Faulkner joined the band in 2011 after KK Downing decided to bow out. He took part in their Epitaph world tour – but Tipton says that didn’t offer any hints as to how he’d contribute when it came to creating material for upcoming album Redeemer Of Souls.

Tipton tells WDHA in the video below: “It was just incredible the way Ritchie fitted in. It was almost like he’d always been there.

“We didn’t know that – we knew he worked live but we had no ideas how we’d gel together when we wrote. It was immediate: he brought energy to the band, and great songs and riffs to the table. It was like a miracle.”

He recalls moments on tour when he overheard Faulkner experimenting with riffs backstage, and ran down the corridor to tell his counterpart: “Play that again!”

It’s perhaps less of a surprise for Faulker, who says: “If you’re like me, you learn to write songs from these guys. They’re the sones who taught me how to write metal songs the way I write them. It was second nature.”

And while Priest have ruled out any more world tours on the scale of Epitaph, Tipton repeats they will hit the stage again in the future, saying: “I’d love to play some of the new songs along with some of the favourites.”

Redeemer Of Souls is released on July 14 in the UK.

Judas Priest on WDHA

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.