JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford recently spoke to Revolver magazine about the group's much anticipated new studio album, "Angel of Retribution", due on March 1 via Epic Records. An excerpt from the interview follows:
Revolver: Any thoughts on the new album?
Rob Halford: "It's everything that you want in a PRIEST record. It's got all the ferocity, strength, and anger, those massive landscapes of music we're famous for. It's a pedigree of all the great experiences that PRIEST have displayed over the years. And it's got great flow 'Sad Wings of Destiny', 'Screaming for Vengeance', 'British Steel' spring to mind, where there's this journeyesque kind of vibe to the music, the kind of thing you can put on and go all the way through and enjoy. There are no laborious moments. It's just another display of the writing team of [guitarist Glenn] Tipton, Halford, and [guitarist K.K.] Downing creating some special metal magic."
Revolver: Did being on Ozzfest and surrounded by all those young bands have any influence on your new music?
Rob Halford: "No. Actually, it was probably the other way around. But we're not blind to what's going on around us. We're very open-minded which is not to say we try and emulate and take what's going on around us into our world. We don't go out of our way to get somebody's record, sit down, scrutinize it, and say, 'We'll do that next time.' It's just being aware of our surroundings."
Revolver: There have been rumors of guests on the new album.
Rob Halford: "There aren't, but I love it when people start speculating. It just shows their interest, that the rumor mill is alive and well around the band. It's PRIEST. The reunion is more than enough to give people."
----
Man I am getting more and more excited by the day about this. March 1 cannot arrive sooner.
Revolver: Any thoughts on the new album?
Rob Halford: "It's everything that you want in a PRIEST record. It's got all the ferocity, strength, and anger, those massive landscapes of music we're famous for. It's a pedigree of all the great experiences that PRIEST have displayed over the years. And it's got great flow 'Sad Wings of Destiny', 'Screaming for Vengeance', 'British Steel' spring to mind, where there's this journeyesque kind of vibe to the music, the kind of thing you can put on and go all the way through and enjoy. There are no laborious moments. It's just another display of the writing team of [guitarist Glenn] Tipton, Halford, and [guitarist K.K.] Downing creating some special metal magic."
Revolver: Did being on Ozzfest and surrounded by all those young bands have any influence on your new music?
Rob Halford: "No. Actually, it was probably the other way around. But we're not blind to what's going on around us. We're very open-minded which is not to say we try and emulate and take what's going on around us into our world. We don't go out of our way to get somebody's record, sit down, scrutinize it, and say, 'We'll do that next time.' It's just being aware of our surroundings."
Revolver: There have been rumors of guests on the new album.
Rob Halford: "There aren't, but I love it when people start speculating. It just shows their interest, that the rumor mill is alive and well around the band. It's PRIEST. The reunion is more than enough to give people."
----
Man I am getting more and more excited by the day about this. March 1 cannot arrive sooner.
