For the final 12 years, Richie Faulkner has been one half of Judas Priest‘s guitar battery, sharing the stage with Glenn Tipton after which Andy Sneap. As Ok.Ok. Downing‘s substitute, he’s completely killed it, enjoying these elements together with his personal model whereas staying true to the unique materials. But at 43 years previous, he’s the youngest member of Judas Priest and as such, he’s nonetheless received lots of metallic pumping in his veins — so long as his physique permits, anyway.

Whereas talking with Jorge Botas of Portugal’s Metallic International (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), Faulkner fielded a query about the way forward for Judas Priest and the way his Elegant Weapons challenge matches in to his plans. Because it seems, that’s his post-Judas Priest retirement contingency.

“Priest music is gonna be round so much longer than we’re. It’s legendary music. They’re genre-defining musicians and it’s a genre-defining band. Will probably be round for a very long time. However none of us will get out of this alive. That’s simply the fact of it. So if in the future that decision is available in and that’s the final tour or the final album, no matter it’s… I imply, I joined the band on what was the farewell tour. Fortunately it wasn’t, and we’re nonetheless right here 12 years later. [It’s] incredible. However on the time, I feel I might have been foolish to not contemplate what I used to be gonna do after the band, due to the circumstances of the tour. It was a farewell tour — it was [supposed to be] the final tour — so what am I gonna do after? So it’s at all times been at the back of my thoughts. And [Elegant Weapons] is a band that appears pure to me to proceed with if that decision ever got here in.”

Although the band’s solely not too long ago launched their debut album Horns For A Halo, Faulkner mentioned he plans on there being extra music, extra albums, and extra excursions with Elegant Weapons, which options Uriah Heep’s Dave Rimmer on bass, Settle for’s Christopher Williams on drums, and Rainbow’s Ronnie Romero on vocals.

Actually, Faulkner mentioned the band is already plugging away at their sophomore album.

“We’ve already began. We’ve recorded drums for the second report. We received collectively in March, I feel, of this yr; I feel it was March — I’m unsure. We received collectively within the studio and performed collectively to report the drums, get the drums recorded. So it’s been began.

“I don’t know. Possibly subsequent yr. Again within the day, bands used to launch a report yearly, generally two in a yr. I do know we don’t do issues underneath the identical cycle anymore. However the concepts are there for the songs. All of us have been collectively, and we thought why not get not less than the drums going. We received the drums and we received the guitars, and stuff like that, so why not begin the method?

“It was necessary for me, actually, once I began the band… It was a band that it wasn’t only a one-record kind factor. It was a band that performs stay and data — hopefully — a number of data and grows and evolves collectively shifting into the longer term. So the following report is simply part of that type of course of, actually.”

So there you might have it. When that darkish day comes that Judas Priest hangs it up, not less than Faulkner can have an exit technique that results in extra heavy metallic.