JUDAS PRIEST Have Enough New Material For Two Albums

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford has revealed to Revolver magazine that the band have recorded enough new material for two albums. The next step will be to decide which songs flow together best. "It's hard because we don't do anything that all threee of us [Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing] don't agree upon, so we're very attached to these songs," Halford said. "But the rest of the material may be used for a follow-up, whenever that may be."

The writing for the much-anticipated album, due December 28 through Epic, began last October in England and the bulk of the recording was completed before the band embarked on this summer's Ozzfest. Following the end of the tour, PRIEST are planning on returning to the studio to finish guitar and vocal overdubs as well as mix and master the disc. Halford, who rejoined the band in July 2003, said the new songs capture the band's vintage sound while tapping into the current meteal climate. "We have always been aware of what's going on around us, and that's been part of the reason for our creative success," he told Revolver. "We've always tried to make music that works no matter when it's released, so this will stand on it own legs and have its own identity, like every great PRIEST record."

While there was initially some apprehension as to whether or not the magic between the three songwriters would still be there, such concerns were quickly dispelled. "The floodgates literally roared open, and an amazing amount of ideas came forth," Halford said.

As previously reported, the initial shipment of JUDAS PRIEST's upcoming studio album will include a bonus DVD filmed during the band's June shows in Barcelona and Valencia, Spain. The band's Ozzfest trek wraps September 4 in West Palm Beach, Fla. A headlining world tour is in the planning stages for early 2005.