JUDAS PRIEST: ‘It’s Exciting To See What We Come Up With Next’

Radio personality Terrie Carr recently spoke to JUDAS PRIEST members Rob Halford (vocals), Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Richie Faulkner (guitar) about their newly released CD, DVD and Blu-ray, “Battle Cry”. You can now listen to the interviews using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On JUDAS PRIEST‘s plans to write and record the follow-up to 2014’s “Redeemer Of Souls” album:

Rob: “Well, we wanna keep the momentum going. For certain bands, it’s the way that the whole business of being in a band and making music works. I mean, we were out [on tour] for almost two years, I think, playing so many shows in so many countries and traveling so many thousands of miles. And, you see, generally when you do that, then you take some time off to decompress and think about all the wonderful things you have experienced. And then generally you take a little bit of time and then you ramp up to go back out on the road again. But I’ve gotta tell you, this is the best time for PRIEST right now. We’re just having a blast, and we want to keep the metal party going, and what better way to do that than to bring on some new metal songs.”

On the fan response to “Redeemer Of Souls”:

Glenn: “We thought, ‘Yeah, we’re just gonna do a few dates.’ Wrong! We got such a great reaction right from the word ‘go.’ And everybody accepted the band and accepted Richie and loved the new material, loved the new album. And it was just so rewarding and satisfying that we could still do it; we could still put out an album and songs that people really want to hear. And I’m very proud of ‘Redeemer’, and I’m sure the rest of the band are proud of it.”

On the feeling within the JUDAS PRIEST camp:

Richie: “From my point of view, the band seems to be energized and we get along well and we’re talking about the future and we’re talking about new ideas, and when we get together again to put new ideas on the table, what direction we’re gonna go in. So there’s no real sense of slowing down in that respect. So it’s great to see, and it’s a huge testament to them. I think [‘Redeemer Of Souls’] was the first [PRIEST] album [to debut] in the Billboard Top 10, [and it is a record] which I was a part of and co-wrote, so on a personal level, it’s a great affirmation that you’re doing something right. You’re doing the right thing. It’s coming from your heart, and you’re putting your heart on the table and you’re putting your ideas out there and your opinions, and you’re doing the right thing. And that inspires you to do more and put your opinion across and listen and learn and create and move on. And I think it’s a great thing. It’s great to be a part of that machine; it’s positive, it’s forward-focused, and it’s exciting to see what we come up with next, really, and I think everyone feels the same way.”

“Redeemer Of Souls” was released in July 2014. The follow-up to 2008’s double-disc concept album “Nostradamus” was billed as a return to JUDAS PRIEST‘s heavy-metal roots.

“Redeemer Of Souls” sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

“Battle Cry” was released on March 25 via Epic Records. Recorded live on August 1, 2015 at Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival in front of an audience of 85,000, the set is available on a 15-track CD, with the entire show on Blu-ray and DVD (running over 94 minutes), as well as digital audio and video formats. The DVD and Blu-ray also contains three bonus tracks shot in Poland on December 10, 2015 at The Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland.