Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner has provided an update on the band’s next album, saying it’s “sounding great”.
The unannounced LP will be the first album from the group since 2018’s Firepower, which charted at five in both the United Kingdom and the United States. After years of waiting, Faulkner’s recent comments suggest fans won’t have to bide their time for much longer.
“It’s actually in the mixing stages at the moment, so we’re getting mixes through from Andy Sneap. But it’s shaping up really well. The mixes are sounding great. So as soon as they’re done, we’ve gotta manufacture the thing,” he revealed to Metal Magnitude.
“So I always say to people, it’s mixing, it’s mastering and it’s manufacturing. You’ve gotta make the thing, you’ve gotta make the vinyl, you’ve gotta make the stuff that everyone’s gonna listen to on that, the packaging, the artwork and all that sort of stuff, so we can then send it out. It’s that kind of packaging that everyone knows and loves — you know, the front cover, the artwork that everyone knows and loves about Judas Priest,” Faulkner continued.
He added of the forthcoming release: “So we’ve gotta get all that sort of stuff done. But as far as the mixes, the album is sounding great. We’re talking about track listing, what order the tracks are gonna go in, what tracks we’re gonna use, all that sort of fun stuff. When you’re talking about that stuff, it’s near completion, so it’s an exciting time for the band. It’s exciting. It’s exciting to have something that no one has heard.”
Last month, Judas Priest were announced as Ozzy Osbourne’s replacement at the Power Trip festival in California after the singer cancelled his scheduled performance due to health reasons. The event is scheduled to take place in October.
After taking Osbourne’s place on the line-up, Judas Priest said in a statement: “Power Trippers, are you ready for some Judas Priest style heavy metal! We are excited and ready to raise double horns way up high together. Keeping the metal faith at this bostin’ one-of-a-kind Power Trip world event!”
