In a recent interview for the Metal Edge , KK Downing spoke again about the circumstances surrounding his departure from Judas Priest ten years ago and said he was "shocked" that he didn't receive a call when Glenn Tipton needed to be replaced.
Downing maintained his version of events, stating that in 2010 the entire band had decided to retire and Judas Priest would be doing their farewell tour, Epitaph , which Downing decided not to participate in because he "didn't know if he would like it." Months later, however, the guitarist regretted his decision and tried to contact his bandmates, but things didn't go as planned.
“I was talking to Ian [ Hill ] about participating [in the tour] and asked him to send me the setlist, but then they released the press statement announcing my departure from the band,” Downing recounts. “And that made me very angry. I sent a sharp letter to Glenn and Jayne [ Andrews , Judas Priest's manager] – very sharp – because I felt they had already made their decision. They found someone new and I thought that was the wrong thing to do because it changed the course of history.”
The guitarist also reiterated that he had hoped for a chance to return to Judas Priest in 2018, when it was announced that Glenn Tipton would not participate in the band's upcoming tours due to the worsening of his Parkinson's disease. Instead, Tipton was replaced by Andy Sneap , producer of Firepower.
“I was shocked and stunned when they didn’t call me because I was sitting around waiting for an opportunity,” Downing states. “Yes, they got Richie [ Faulkner ] – they wanted him – but at some point I felt there would be a chance, whatever it was. So when Glenn handed the guitar to Andy I was in disbelief.”
“I consider Andy a friend – I’ve been to his studio and worked there and we talk – and he himself admits that even in his band, Hell , he wasn’t the lead guitarist because that was Kevin [ Bower ]. So I found that extremely strange because it altered the course of the band’s history, really,” Downing concluded.
Finally, the guitarist decided to move on by forming his own band, KK's Priest , with two other former members of Judas Priest: Tim “Ripper” Owens and Les Binks . The group's debut album, Sermons Of The Sinner , was released in October and is available on all digital platforms.
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