Judas Priest’s New Album is Almost Done: “It’s An Exciting Time for the Band”

Following up their 2018 smash hit Firepower was never going to be easy but Judas Priest are ready to rise to the occasion. Speaking to Metal Magnitude, guitarist Richie Faulkner said that the album has been recorded and is in the mixing process now.

“It’s actually in the mixing stages at the moment, so we’re getting mixes through from Andy Sneap. But it’s shaping up really well. The mixes are sounding great. So as soon as they’re done, we’ve gotta manufacture the thing. So I always say to people, it’s mixing, it’s mastering and it’s manufacturing. You’ve gotta make the thing, you’ve gotta make the vinyl, you’ve gotta make the stuff that everyone’s gonna listen to on that, the packaging, the artwork and all that sort of stuff, so we can then send it out. It’s that kind of packaging that everyone knows and loves — you know, the front cover, the artwork that everyone knows and loves about Judas Priest. So we’ve gotta get all that sort of stuff done. But as far as the mixes, the album is sounding great. We’re talking about track listing, what order the tracks are gonna go in, what tracks we’re gonna use, all that sort of fun stuff. When you’re talking about that stuff, it’s near completion, so it’s an exciting time for the band. It’s exciting. It’s exciting to have something that no one has heard.”

Faulker says that he and the band are very aware of how high the bar was set with Firepower, but doesn’t seem particularly worried about Judas Priest’s ability to surpass it.

“‘Firepower’ was such a well-received album. It’s been out for a few years now, and we’ve gotta top that one. People love that record, and we’ve got a lot to live up to. But that’s a great thing to shoot for. When the bar’s that high, you’ve just gotta meet the bar and hopefully surpass it. So we’ll see.”

Releasing an album as good or better than Firepower seems pretty damn hard to do, but if anyone can, it’s Judas Priest.