In a brand new interview with Herald-Whig, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner once again spoke about the band's recent announcement that it would embark on the next leg of its 50th-anniversary tour as a quartet. Asked if this was just a way for the rest of the band to get to pick on him as the new guy again, Richie said: "Yeah, about a week later, we readdressed that announcement and we've gone back to a five-piece. But I did get that impression initially. It's was, like, well, I've just had this issue; maybe they're just test in my mettle, so to speak. But the fans voiced their opinion on that and we listened. We would have been crazy not to take that on board, really. So we addressed it and we're coming back as a five-piece. We will go back to normal, basically. It's going to be that five-piece, that twin-guitar attack PRIEST is known and loved for. So all's well there." He continued: "PRIEST have been such a part of our culture, really. I don't really remember a world, as far as my kind of heavy metal music consciousness is concerned, when I didn't know who JUDAS PRIEST was. I knew the songs, 'Another Thing Coming' and 'Breaking The Law'. It would be interesting for sure, as a four-piece, like [BLACK] SABBATH or OZZY [OSBOURNE], or a few bands out there. But I think the fans' voices are important, as I said, and we listened. You've got to pay attention to the fans. They're the lifeblood of this band, and any band, really that does gigs and puts out music. They're part of what enables the life of any band. So I think that's what you've got to respect and acknowledge." PRIEST's initial announcement that it would perform as a four-piece when it returns to the road came on January 10. A few hours later, the band's touring guitarist Andy Sneap, who co-produced the group's 2018 album "Firepower", released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he said that he was "incredibly disappointed" by PRIEST's decision to carry on as a quartet and thanked the Halford-fronted outfit for the "mind-blowing" opportunity to share the stage with one of his favorite bands. Meanwhile, PRIEST fans were understandably upset about the band's decision to forgo its classic twin-guitar attack sound and made their feelings known on social media. Some even called for the return of guitarist K.K. Downing, who joined PRIEST in 1970 and remained in the group until 2011. On January 15, JUDAS PRIEST released a statement announcing that it was reversing its decision to tour as a four-piece, explaining that the bandmembers "decided unanimously" to continue their live shows "unchanged" with Rob, Faulkner, Ian Hill (bass), Scott Travis (drums) and Andy. Earlier in the month, Halford told Billboard about PRIEST's short-lived plan to embark on its 50th-anniversary tour as a quartet: "That all came from me, it didn't come from the band. Of course, that blew up in my face, didn't it? To have done something like a four-piece now would've been just not right, ridiculous, insane, crazy, off my rocker, have a cup of tea and relax. It's kind of water under the bridge now. I think my heart was in the right place, but I'm not the first musician to have a crazy idea." Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT, began touring with PRIEST four years ago after Glenn Tipton — who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower". Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Downing parted ways with the band more than a decade ago and was replaced by Faulkner. Last month, Downing said in an interview that it was "very, very strange" for PRIEST "to even think about" the possibility of going out as a quartet. "I'm like everybody else. I'm totally bemused," he told the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen" classic rock show. "It was just so extreme and insulting in a way, I guess, and insulting to Glenn as well. It was kind of a slap in the face, saying, 'Okay, you two guys did it, but we think just one guy could do what…' It kind of made us and everything that we've done and created, saying it was all superfluous, really, and didn't really have the value that… I'm sure Glenn will agree with me that it does have a value." Last November, JUDAS PRIEST announced the rescheduled "50 Heavy Metal Years" North American tour dates for March-April 2022. Support on the trek will come from QUEENSRŸCHE.
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