JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford recently spoke to Loudwire about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to their 2008 concept album "Nostradamus".

Asked what fans can fans expect from the next PRIEST CD, Halford said, "We've already got a strong cross-section of ideas, some of them complete, some of them in bits and pieces. It's shaping up to be quite intense, in terms of the riffage and the strength of certain tracks. Much like every time you try and talk about music, it's practically impossible to capture it. You can only point it in the direction of where things are shaping up, and it's just glorious. If I try to pinpoint it, there are elements of 'British Steel' and there elements of 'Painkiller' in terms of the vibe. We've got a really solid record coming together slowly in a strong metal way that will make all of our PRIEST fans around the world very happy and content. At least I hope it does."

Regarding a possible release date for the new PRIEST album, Halford said, "I'm not really sure. It'll be ready when it's ready. We're not under the same clock as we used to be. I remember in the '80s we were banging out a record almost every year, and that was on top of putting in a world tour. We have the luxury now, if you want to call it that, of taking our time. And that's just because that's the way it is. We're just as eager to get this done as ever, but we do it at a slower pace. It's that British thing, you know? [laughs] It's that monarchy thing. But, I hope it'll be out next year. My gut tells me it'll be out next year. You know what, 2013, let's go for it. Let's look forward to that moment for another PRIEST record for everyone to bang their heads to."

JUDAS PRIEST played the final show of its "Epitaph" world tour on May 26 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, England. The sold-out concert was professionally filmed for a 2013 DVD release.

On the topic of PRIEST's future touring activities, Halford said, "We're simplifying things from a road point of view. We're not going to go out on any two year treks. It's a little more difficult to do that at 61 than it was at 60. [laughs] Having said that, I was looking at the early editing of the PRIEST show a couple months ago in London at the famous Hammersmith Odeon. I got the DVD about a week ago and I can't stop watching it. It's just unbelievable to look at. What I'm trying to say is that the components, the important pieces of what being in a band is all about, are as strong as when we started out. I can see that, I can hear that, by looking at that DVD. That's encouraging. We are going to go out, we're just simplifying where we go out and for how long. It's definitely not the end. The heavy metal fat lady hasn't sang yet. She's tied up in a float case. She's handcuffed somewhere in a float case. There's no end in sight. Why say it's the end when it's not the end? Why say the end is coming when it ain't, you know? PRIEST is just going to keep going as long as it can. As long as we want to be in the band, as long as we want to keep making metal, we're going to keep doing it. At the forefront of all that, though, are the fans that look after us. We wouldn't deprive the fans of another great record or another great show. Our life has existed because of the fan base that looks after us. Our fans are excited and eager to get more PRIEST, so we'll hopefully deliver the goods next year."