JUDAS PRIEST Guitarist Says RIPPER 'Took It On The Chin' When HALFORD Came Back

Blasting-Zone.com recently conducted an in-depth interview with legendary JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton. Several excerpts follow:

Blasting-Zone.com: When you entered the studio to record "Angel of Retribution", did you initially find it hard to work together after such a long absence?

Glenn: "No. We made a conscious decision right form the start of the writing process to enjoy ourselves. There was a lot of pressure and a lot of expectation. The whole metal world was watching us, waiting to either pounce on it and rip it to bits or congratulate us. There was a lot of pressure, so we were like, 'Look, we're going to go in there, write naturally and enjoy it,' And I think that comes across in the album. It reminisces in places and it's also got some innovative moments as well. All in all, it's a very relaxed album. It's a very typical PRIEST album. It's a reunion album, but it's got a little bit more as well. I think if people look at it like that, it's a very enjoyable piece of metal."

Blasting-Zone.com: Realistically, how many more JUDAS PRIEST albums can your fans expect? As a group, do you consider the reunion to be long-term or short-term?

Glenn: "We look at the reunion as a new start, a new beginning. It's not about doing just one album. I don't know…two or three, I think. That's what I hope. You never know what's around the corner, ya know? Speaking for myself, and I'm sure Ken and Robert are excited about it, I can't wait to get started on the next one."

Blasting-Zone.com: When you were going through the process of auditioning singers to replace Rob, were you surprised by the amount of material you had to choose from?

Glenn: "No, not really. Obviously being the singer for PRIEST is a desirable position. There were a lot of people out there that were capable that applied, but there were also a lot of people that were nowhere capable that also applied. So what we did was have our office sift through and short lists and then we listened to the sort lists. A lot of women applied, as well. I think everybody sort of felt they had a chance, but obviously some had no chance at all. There were some really good singers in the applications, but we really knew we hadn’t found one. We'd almost given up. We had almost given up, really. We had been looking for almost two years and had listened to tape after tape and had watched a lot of videos and DVDs. It was just wearin' us down and we thought, 'Look, this just isn't going to work. we haven't found a replacement for Rob and we never will.' Lo and behold, Ripper showed up and amazed us all. They were good years, the Ripper years. I'm proud of 'Jugulator' and 'Demolition'. We did a great live album and we did some great touring. In all honesty, if we hadn't gone through those years, I don't think PRIEST would still be around. I think we would have dried up and would not have gotten back together again. They were important years in their own way."

Blasting-Zone.com: Did you need to prove that you could still play together as a group without Rob?

Glenn: "It kept us fit, kept us active and kept our confidence going. That's all we needed. And Tim… I can't say enough about Tim. He's a great lad. He's a very talented singer. I know he's got his own album coming out soon and I'm sure he'll have success in his own right because he's a real professional, hard-working guy with a great voice. Tim took it on the chin when we told him about Rob rejoining the group. He was the first to say that he was all for it. He took it like a real gentleman."

Blasting-Zone.com: Do you have any plans to tour in support of either of your solos discs?

Glenn: "Not at the moment. When I first started working with John [Entwistle] and Cozy [Powell], we had intentions of going out because there was no PRIEST at the time. I have to repeat that because solo albums can be done for the right and the wrong reasons. Mine was done at a point where there was no PRIEST. I'm musically quite prolific and that's what I wanted to do. To carry on musically, ya know? Obviously, fate took a hand and John and Cozy are no longer with us and then PRIEST got back together. I think the fans would be peeved if my total full concentration wasn't on PRIEST. Everybody's looking forward to the next PRIEST album and that's what I'm going to dedicate my time to. My full attention will be on PRIEST for the next year because we want to do something very special for thee next album. And I think that's what everybody would want, ya know? …We'd been gone for fourteen years prior to this reunion, and a lot of people want to see us back out there."

Blasting-Zone.com: Do you think the next PRIEST album will be better than "Angel of Retribution" simply because you'll have had more time together as a group?

Glenn: "I think it will be better (laughs). I can't say anything else, really because I can't turn round and say it's going to be worse. We've got something special planned for the next album and if we can pull it off, I think it's going to be phenomenal. I'm really excited about the writing process. I can't wait to get together with Rob and K.K."

Read the entire interview at Blasting-Zone.com.