GLENN TIPTON Says 'Epitaph' Tour Is 'The Beginning Of The End' Of JUDAS PRIEST

Jim Beal Jr. of MySanAntonio.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Glenn Tipton of British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On having JUDAS PRIEST songs covered by bands from SEPULTURA to THE DONNAS, from ANNIHILATOR to KREATOR:

"A lot of bands cite JUDAS PRIEST as influences. The best compliment we've ever had was our music is timeless. It's something to be proud of. But we've never really known what we're doing."

On the key to JUDAS PRIEST's early success:

"You never really know what's going to happen. I'd been in a lot of local bands. When it was suggested Judas Priest pull in another player, we joined forces. I immediately knew something special had occurred, especially as writers."

"It's all about the song. Visually, you have to look good on stage and you have to be good players, you have to rely on the guitar players to be good soloists, but there has to be a reason for that solo break to be there. It should be all about the composition, all about the song. The music has to complement what's already there. The song is the most important thing. A band is really only as good as its songs. Every now and then, with a combination of writers, we struck a chord with listeners. We've always been proud to be a metal band, but the songs are easy to relate to. But you can't pat yourselves on the back and say you deliberately wrote these songs. We've recorded 17 studio albums and performed for millions of people and we've always evolved."

On founding JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing's decision to leave the band and Downing's replacement, Richie Faulkner:

"Ken was having a lot of problems with his wrists. He was really struggling on the last tour. When he decided to retire from the band we were pretty much in shock. We waited three months to see what would happen. We decided if we could find the right guy we'd go on. We contacted quite a few guitar players. Richie stepped into the band and it's like he was always there. He does the essence of what Ken did, but in his own way. It's been wonderful, really, but nobody wanted to see Ken go."

On JUDAS PRIEST's twin-guitar work:

"That's also something that's evolved. It's obvious when one takes a lead guitar break, the other backs him up. We worked very hard throughout the years and it evolved. We always wanted to experiment. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

On JUDAS PRIEST's current "Epitaph" tour:

"With 17 studio albums, we decided to play at least one track off each album. This is our last world tour. It takes 18 months to stage a world tour. After 40 years, we decided it's possibly time to pull back a little bit. It's not absolutely the end of the band. I'd say perhaps it's the beginning of the end."

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