Obviously I wasn't inducted, but they were adamant I took part in the performance to represent Priest in 2023. They were adamant that I was up there with them as part of Priest in 2023. I was overwhelmed to be a part of it with Ken with Glenn and the rest of the band. Priest is known for a double guitar attack and, for that night, it was a three-pronged guitar attack. It was great to be up there with him and Glenn as well. He was all over the stage like he was normally. He was a great guy - he looked great, he sounded great, he played great. I didn't really have any problems with him and I don't really think he had any problems with me, so we got on fine. I've never met him before and I've never had any big beef with K.K., but we know the relationship with the band over the last 10 or so years has been a bit tumultuous to say the least. Downing at the Rock Hall for last year's induction? Do you feel a door has been open for a better relationship with the guitarist moving forward?įirst of all, it was great to meet him. Having grown up a fan of Judas Priest and playing with them over the past decade, what did it mean to you to finally connect with K.K. He's out there doing the frontman's job and that's what you need with a band with this caliber of musicians. He's a great frontman and he's got the grace, charisma, finesse and the personality that I don't have. He's not a shrinking violet, he's out the front. He's a guy that can front this band the way it needs to be fronted. You can hear where our influences have come from musically, but it's a record that should be relevant in 2023. You can hear the influence in Ronnie's voice and where he comes from and musically what's in his DNA, but he's also a singer in the modern age. He actually mentioned Ronnie Romero and a light bulb went off above my head. I was actually talking to Damon Johnson from Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders and Lynryd, bouncing ideas off of him about who I could get in on vocals. What made him the right choice to front the group and how do you see that dynamic playing out in the future? Richie, Ronnie Romero seems like such a great vocal fit for this band. Just the emotion that came from me, I just couldn't help but be moved by that.
The emotion, the bluesy kind of metal licks that came from that man's hands were just unbelievable. One of my all-time favorite solos off the top of my head, I think I'd have to say is "Victim of Changes." I remember playing onstage with Priest, backing up Glen Tipton when he played that solo and I used to get goosebumps just playing the rhythm part and hearing that guitar solo being played live. There's Sabbath stuff, Randy Rhoads, Michael Schenker, Zakk Wylde, Brian May. There's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" from Iron Maiden. There's so many great guitar solos throughout history - "Victim of Changes," "The Sentinel" backwards and forwards, and that's just Priest. I'm so bad with favorites because you always miss out on other things. Do you have a favorite all time guitar solo, both of something you've done as well as a solo that someone else did that you wish you would've been yours? READ MORE: Richie Faulkner Names the Judas Priest Song He Most Enjoys Playing LiveĪs expected, there's some great guitar work on the new record reminiscent of some of the music that you grew up with, especially where guitar solos are concerned. Christopher Williams is a fantastic drummer, I've known Dave Rimmer for over 20 years, so I couldn't think of a better group of guys to share the road with. I'm just fortunate to have people around me that I can call up and say, "Hey, do you want to be in my band?" They make me sound good at the end of the day - you pick the best guys for the job and hopefully they say yes and join you. Those characters are going to come together and make something unique in its own right moving forward. So I had to put a band around the live format and the guys in the band now (bassist Dave Rimmer of Uriah Heep and drummer Christopher Williams of Accept) are the guys that are going to evolve and grow as a band. Ronnie and I move forward and obviously Scott and Rex are doing other things. I'm incredibly fortunate to have the guys on the record - Scott Travis (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy), Rex Brown (Pantera) and Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Lords of Black) on the record. As Elegant Weapons moves forward, do you foresee the live band being the primary band for recording? It's still early to be talking about a follow-up, but do you have ideas for how you'd like to see this band move forward creatively? The album features some high profile guest collaborations and you've now got a live lineup that's pretty impressive as well.
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