Judas Priest to Release Career-Spanning Box Set

If you’ve ever wanted to heavily delve into Judas Priest’s rich catalog, here’s your big chance. The metal legends have announced a 17-CD box set compiling their classic recordings, according to BraveWords.

Judas Priest’s The Complete Albums Collection will be released on January 24 via Columbia/Epic/Legacy. The set will include the first-ever, Priest-approved remasters of 1974’s Rocka Rolla and 1976’s Sad Wings of Destiny. Also featured is a 40-page booklet photos, credits and liner notes by Greg Prato.

Check out the full list of albums below:

Rocka Rolla (1974)
Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Sin After Sin (1977)
Stained Class (1978)
Killing Machine (1978)
Unleashed in the East (1979)
British Steel (1980)
Point of Entry (1981)
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Defenders of the Faith (1984)
Turbo (1986)
Priest… Live! (1987)
Ram It Down (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
Angel of Retribution (2005)
Nostradamus (2008)
A Touch of Evil… Live (2009)

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Judas Priest Bassist Talks K.K. Downing Replacement

Judas Priest bass player Ian Hill discussed his band’s farewell tour, founding member K.K. Downing’s departure and new guitarist Richie Faulkner in a new interview with Metal Hammer magazine. Hill said that Faulkner was recommended to the band through a mutual friend.

“For those fans who are concerned that we will no longer sound like Priest [without Downing], you can put your minds at rest,” he said. “Richie Faulkner is a fabulous guitarist and the perfect replacement for K.K. Downing. You will miss nothing from the show and the sound.”

The bassist said that the band tried everything to keep K.K. as part of the group, but “He no longer had the enthusiasm to keep going.”

Hill also was asked if Judas Priest’s Epitaph tour would truly include their last performances as a band.

“I don't think these will be our last-ever performances,” he said. “But there will be no more two-year tours after this. However, we still have a lot of touring ahead of us, and if anyone asks us – why shouldn't we continue playing?”

Judas Priest’s Epitaph tour begins on June 7 in Holland.

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Judas Priest Prep for Farewell Tour with New Guitarist

Less than a month away from the opening date of their farewell tour (on June 7 in Tilburg, Holland), Judas Priest have begun rehearsing with new guitarist Richie Faulkner, according to a report on Blabbermouth. Faulkner replaced founding member K.K. Downing last month, after the guitarist abruptly quit the band during preparations for the much-anticipated Epitaph tour, citing a breakdown in his working relationship with members of the band and their management.

Frontman Rob Halford told French magazine Rock Hard, “K.K. can never be replaced; he’s unique, and we didn’t want any kind of K.K. copycat. Richie Faulkner came to Glenn’s [Tipton] house to jam, and Glenn simply told me he was absolutely brilliant.”

As for Downing leaving the band, Halford said, “K.K. leaving was his own decision, for the reasons he made public on his website… K.K. has his own life to live and we can’t force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.”

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K.K. Downing Retires from Judas Priest

British metal band Judas Priest announced this week that founding guitarist K.K. Downing, 59, retired from the band and will not join them on their forthcoming farewell tour, named the Epitaph Tour.

Remaining members – singer Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis – issued a press release to announced Downing’s replacement as Richie Faulkner, the 31-year-old guitarist behind Lauren Harris and Dirty Deeds.

In a recent interview Downing was asked for his thoughts on the farewell tour, and he said, “To be perfectly honest, I have not given any thought as to possible case scenarios after the final tour. At the moment though I feel that Priest has played its part in music history and feel very proud to have achieved what we have. So there is a good positive feeling inside me and, of course, I feel very indebted to the fans all over the world. As for the future, we probably need the help of [Priest’s most recent album] Nostradamus.”

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Duff McKagan, Corey Taylor and Steve Jones to Cover Judas Priest

At next week’s Revolver Golden Gods Awards ceremony, Duff McKagan will lead members of Slipknot and the Sex Pistols in a tribute to metal legends Judas Priest. McKagan’s band, Loaded, will be joined by singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Steve Jones to play Priest’s classic, “Electric Eye,” according to Blabbermouth.net.

The awards show – which celebrates the best in hard rock and metal – will take place April 20 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Other performers include recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Alice Cooper group, Avenged Sevenfold, Sebastian Bach with Asking Alexandria, Cherie Currie with Volbeat and Chris Jericho’s Fozzy.

If you can’t make it to L.A. for the event, you’ll be able to catch the performances when the show is televised on May 28 on VH1 Classic.

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