The band have been performing with temporary touring member Andy Sneap since 2018 following word that Glenn Tipton had retired from the road while he deals with the effects of Parkinson’s Disease.
Sneap co-produced Judas Priest’s 2018 album, “Firepower”, with Tom Allom before he was invited to join the lineup for live dates on that trek; the news comes as the group prepare to restart a North American series that was shut down last fall after guitarist Richie Faulkner suffered a life-threatening incident on stage at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, KY in September.
"Hello maniacs!,” shared the group. “We are chomping at the British Steel bit to return to world touring... celebrating 50 years of Judas Priest as an even more powerful, relentless four piece heavy metal band - with Glenn coming out on stage with us here and there as before. Big thanks to Andy for all you've done and continuing to be in the production team for our new album... See you all soon headbangers!"
"Rob (Halford) called me last Monday and said they wanted to move on as a four-piece,” explained Sneap, “which I find incredibly disappointing after this amount of time but I respect his decision as they obviously have a vision how they want this to play out. This always was a temporary situation, and like I've said before, I'll always help the band any way I can, and that applies going forward also.
“I've been a huge fan of the band since the early '80s and it was mind-blowing to play onstage with the guys and quite frankly terrifying in the beginning at such short notice.
"We are moving forward with the new album next month and look forward to making a killer follow-up to 'Firepower'."
Judas Priest will begin rescheduled dates for their 50 Heavy Metal Years North American tour in early March. See also:
Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner streams Instagram jam
Judas Priest announce rescheduled North American tour dates
Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner shares heart surgery recovery update
Judas Priest: Richie Faulkner continues recovery following emergency heart surgery
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