Richie Faulkner joined Judas Priest in 2011
In an interview with Revolver magazine, Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford spoke about the experience of composing a new album with guitarist Richie Faulkner, who replaced KK Downing in 2011.
“When [Richie] came in, it was like stepping into big boots. He will always acknowledge his respect and admiration for what KK still means to certain Priest songs ,” said the singer. “He came on the Epitaph tour. He was thrown in the middle of it, going out night after night with people asking ‘Who’s this new guy?’ (…) We know each other. We’re in each other’s company, 20 hours a day on the bus, on stage, backstage, so all of that matters. And Richie really participated in this album, gave his contributions. (…) In the songwriting sessions for Redeemer Of Souls I said ‘Let’s listen to the ideas. Richie, you’re not the hired gun. You’re in this band.’” And then, when we got into the creation phase of Firepower, he felt more settled, more cemented in Judas Priest, and that shows with his skill on Firepower. (…)
We never went for controversy. We never pulled a fast one. It was always just about the music. The music comes first, so whenever those changes came up, they were for a specific important reason. Our fans understood, and that's how Richie was embraced.”
Judas Priest's new album, Firepower , will be released on March 9th.
