The musician claimed that he did not intend to offend the band.
It was recently announced Firepower album tour due to his Parkinson's disease and will be replaced by Andy Sneap, the band's longtime producer.
A few days later, former guitarist KK Downing said he was “shocked and stunned” that he hadn’t been invited to replace Glenn. In the statement, Downing also said he believes Andy’s role on the album was much bigger than that of producer, implying that he recorded the parts that should have been Glenn’s.
Shortly after, frontman Rob Halford defended the work, responding: "I would like to clarify and record what I have to say about the insinuation that Andy Sneap was playing Glenn's guitar parts on Firepower."
“I can tell you that this is 100% false. I was with Glenn when he was working on his parts and he put in a lot of effort. Imagine this guy with stage 10 Parkinson's disease. I've never seen anyone so brave. Every song was a challenge for him, but he managed to overcome it day after day.”
Now, Downing has revealed that he didn't intend to imply that Glenn didn't record the guitar on the album: "What I said about Andy Sneap was what I would say about any other guitarist and producer who has ever participated in the recording of any of our albums."
“Great talents like Chris Tsangarides and Roy Z not only produced the albums but also contributed musical ideas, riffs, and lyrics. Consequently, albums like Painkiller and Angel of Retribution wouldn't be the same without them. Even George Martin, I believe, contributed much more to the Beatles than as just any producer. An extra musician in the studio makes all the difference.”
Tipton has been a part of every Judas Priest album since their debut , Rocka Rolla, in 1974, and according to a statement from the band, he will not be leaving the group, but will simply not be performing live due to his health difficulties.
Judas Priest's new album, Firepower , will be released on March 9th. Listen to the title track by clicking here.
