JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford recently spoke with Sign On San Diego about the band's recently announced decision to spilt up following one final tour, due to take place next year. An excerpt from the interview is available below.

Halford: “If you get in the ring too often, the whole thing can become really sad to look at and listen to. You have to ensure that doesn’t happen. We’re getting to a point where we’re trying to do things we did 30 years ago, and it isn’t so easy. You have to face mortality. Some bands keep going, some bands ease off a bit and some bands stop altogether. It happens to all bands eventually, and now this is something we’re facing in Judas Priest. We want to leave on respectable terms, musically.

My intention, no matter where I go or what I do, is to keep making metal. We do have a few more things we want to say – but what we’d rather do for the time being is let the information settle. It’s very big news for a lot of fans and we want to let the firestorm settle down. So for all intents and purposes, it’s the farewell tour, and it’ll probably last into 2012.”

Click here for the complete interview.

A press release on Judas Priest's final tour reads as follows:

After storming the world for nearly 40 years and taking their very special brand of heavy metal to all four corners of the planet, Judas Priest - one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, have announced this will be their final world tour!!

However, the mighty Priest will certainly be going out strong as they rock the planet starting in 2011 on the massive Epitaph tour - hitting all the major cities throughout the world they will be playing the songs that helped make the name Judas Priest synonymous with heavy metal!

With all guns blazing and amps cranked to eleven, the band will be giving all their fans one last chance to witness the ultimate metal experience that is Judas Priest!

Judas Priest Epitaph tour dates:

June

9 - Sweden Rock - Solvesborg, Sweden
11 - Sauna Festival - Tampere, Finland
17 - Copenhell Festival - Copenhagen, Denmark
19 - Hellfest - Nantes, France
22 - Gods of Metal Festival - Milan, Italy
25 - Graspop Festival - Dessel, Belgium
28 - O2 Arena - Prague, Czech Republic
29 - Stadthalle - Vienna, Austria

July

23 - High Voltage Festival - London, UK

August

5 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany