Cow-wrapped British metal scientists Judas Priest have embarked on an intensive fall tour that finds them presenting their flash Redeemer of Soul songs amongst all those legend-mad hits you know and love. Slicing through the six strings along with ex-Flying Hat Band guitarist Glenn Tipton is one Richie Faulkner, who spoke to us about all things Priest, present and future... permitting.

“It’s a good question,” reflects Richie, on that very subject—the future. “We are always considering what we might be doing six months to a year in the future. You know, what’s right for the band at this point, whether it’s more touring, or making another statement in the studio. So all options are being considered, really. I mean, as far as this tour is concerned, it’s looking like it’s going to be the end of this year and that will be the end of the Redeemer of Souls tour. But you never know if you get in a package next year or a group of dates that come up. I think the band would definitely consider them. We’re always looking for new opportunities. We’re not going to rule out anything at the moment.”

As for a next record, it sure feels like an interesting time for the band, given the goodly vibes around Redeemer of Souls, and the record’s variety around all manner of magic Priest metal moments (to intentionally wax eloquently like Mr. Halford).

“Yeah, again, there’s been a lot of discussion about what direction we could go in, whether it should be another classic Priest album, or whether it should be something different, new territories. Does the band need to conquer new territories, or do we do what comes natural, like we did with Redeemer? Again, nothing is set in stone at the moment but we definitely are having those kinds of conversations, where I’ll be talking to Glenn about possible riffs or directions or flavours. It’s exciting, really. The band has always been known as a band that pushes the boundaries of the music they create, and that’s why they’re at the forefront of what they do for the last 30, 40 years. So we can either do a classic record, or we can say let’s do something completely new. Again, all options are open and it kind of inspires a great deal of creativity. And so again, we’ll see what happens.”

Pushed for specifics down to the song level, Faulkner (who also can talk a bit like Rob... and Glenn... and Ian!) explains that, “We all come up with different bits and pieces, you know, melodies or riffs or whatever, and then see what shape the album is gonna take. With the last record we did, we had some really full-on, fast metal ideas, and we also had some bluesy ideas. But that didn’t necessarily mean that the album took on a bluesy feel, if you know what I mean. It’s just, put them in the hat and see what works for the song. And sometimes collectively it leads to one direction. And maybe it starts... I don’t know, I wasn’t around at the time, but in 1986 when the band released Turbo, maybe they were experimenting with new technology, and it just seemed to go that way in terms of direction and sound and production. So you’ve always got the idea of... if I throw in a couple of songs that are very Painkiller-esque, you know, they could take on an entirely different form once we get in there. You never know, really, the monster you’re going to create at the end.”

One heartening aspect to Redeemer of Souls was the unique contour to the production. As with Nostradamus, the band did not go for a plain and sensible and perfect sound, one that could and would elude discussion and debate. Instead, two records in a row now, there’s an odd industrial sheen to the sound, something that perhaps has its roots in the Glenn Tipton solo album, but also Painkiller and the Ripper Owens era.

“Well, I know Glenn’s been kind of in the production seat for a few years now with Priest,” offers Faulkner, asked about the Mike Exeter/Glenn Tipton nexus. “And it always seems to be with these bands—like Priest, Maiden, Sabbath—there seems to be a guy in the driver’s seat that seems to... everyone puts their ideas in and gets it to a point, and then there’s someone that seems to have the final word on it. And Glenn is very much that character. He’s been in that seat for a long while, and we all trust him with it. And I think one of the things that I took from that process is that Glenn was always looking for something unique. He’s looking for something that sounded different, something that has its own identity. And I think it’s a really good thing to take away from those sessions as a songwriter. You can have something that sounds familiar or this sounds great, and maybe you want to re-create that, but I think it’s important to retain a sense of identity—and production is a part of that as well. So that was a really important and exciting thing for me to learn, and that is something I can tell you, that was definitely something that was going on at that time.”

So look for Richie to be ripping it up live, first in North America starting mid-October and then o’er to Europe to close out the year. I wondered what the hard bits to conquer are for Faulkner up there, with respect to his axe-slinging duties.

“They’re all challenging for different reasons,” he figures. “If I’m re-creating one of Ken’s epic solos, you know, there are certain parts where you feel like you have to include certain notes and certain things that are recognizable in that solo, for example. But at the same time, you can improvise on the spot, like Hendrix did. So it gives you the artistic license to put your own little flavour in there. So while you give tribute to what came before, you get to inject your own little bit of personality in there as well. So it’s a challenge, but it’s a great, creative and fun challenge to have. And most of the songs are like that. Obviously you’ve got to stay true to the songs and the riffs and the arrangements. But here and there, everyone’s got a bit of flair or stock bit or a little riff they put in. So it just keeps it exciting, although it’s not hard to stay excited with these songs.”

As for his style versus Tipton’s, Richie says, “I think Glenn is a bit more of a legato player. I tend to pick more notes than Glenn. I don’t pick every note like Zakk does or people like that. I couldn’t come anywhere close to that. But I definitely pick a lot more notes than Glenn does. So he’s a bit more of a hammer-on player, and mine’s a bit more ‘pick out more notes.’ And the vibrato as well; I think every guitar player has a different vibrato, and that’s kind of like a fingerprint to the personality of the player. And again, Glenn’s always had his own style from the beginning. So we’re vastly different. Obviously, I’m schooled on Glenn and Ken and Michael Schenker and Zakk and Maiden, all those guys, so it’s all in there in a big melting pot of guitar greats.”

Given the generation gap, has Richie been able to teach these old dogs any new tricks?

“Yeah, I think definitely in terms of social media, and the platforms that are available to everyone now. You can connect to the fans, and it’s an immediate response. You can take shots on stage and post them as you gig, you know what I mean? So it’s very connected, very inclusive these days. Now Rob, Rob asked me once, ‘What’s this Instagram thing? What’s that about?’ And I showed him, and now he’s an absolute addict! And he’ll tell you the same thing. He’s never off of it. You know, he punches himself in. Rob... we’ll be at a festival, and Rob will go around and meet some of his heroes and post it up on Instagram. He always says, ‘Falcon...’ he calls me Falcon, and he says, ‘Falcon, I’ve got some more likes and some more followers.’ His posts have just like exploded. He’s an absolute addict. But it’s actually been valuable in terms of connectivity and reaching out to the fans. And it’s immediate as well, so there is that.”

In closing, I thought I’d ask Richie what the band does to stay comfortable on the road, to make it a reality that Priest could even be up there pounding out “Metal Gods” now 46 years into the band’s existence (granted, with no original members from that ’69 lineup!).

“Anything to make us comfortable, really, but we don’t really abuse… I mean, we travel coach. We do travel business sometimes, but we don’t overindulge. We kind of use things as we need them. Everyone likes their creature comforts. We like a fan on stage in certain areas. Everyone’s got their... you know, a little cup of tea sometimes before we go on, and we have our tour rider and stuff. If Rob needs a massage before the show, we call in a local masseur, or masseuse. But nothing’s ever extravagant. We don’t abuse the luxury.”

What about crazy health foods on the ol’ tour rider?

“Yeah, funny enough, we have a lot of that stuff, like health drinks and vegetables. But funny enough, no one ever eats or drinks any of that stuff (laughs). It’s there on the rider, I think, just to make our consciences feel good. For some reason, all the beer’s gone at the end of the night and all the biscuits and the cookies. But all the health drinks are still in there. I don’t know why that is (laughs).”

(Top photo by Mark Wilkinson)