Zisis Petkanas at Greece-based Rock Overdose recently conducted an interview with Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner. They discussed the band's new album, Redeemer Of Souls, the upcoming tour and much more:

Q: How do you feel to be part of a legend called Judas Priest and your name to be on your first album with them?

Richie: "Well, first of all is a huge honor from the very beginning, just to be considered part of the band. It goes back when I joined the band playing in the Epitaph Tour for a couple of years into now we are going to the studio, written 18 songs and having an album coming out. It's a huge honor. It is very satisfying feeling for all of us to have the album ready to go now, because we are very proud of that. And personally, I think it's a huge honor to be part of something so legendary as you said, they are all legends, I am a huge Priest fan so I know what my job is, I know the duty I have as a member of Judas Priest and as a fan."

Q: So, if you have to describe this album with one word, which one will be?

Richie: "'Pure' I think. It is a very pure record from the writing to the recording process to the essence that we are trying to capture in the record. It's pure essence of Judas Priest, it's a pure recording record, it's a guitar through an amplifier through a mic. It's not over-embellished, it's not over-produced. It is just a pure statement of what Judas Priest is without trying to overthink it or over comprehend it. So I say 'pure' will be the word I’ll use."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Redeemer Of Souls tracklisting:

"Dragonaut"
"Redeemer Of Souls"
"Halls Of Valhalla"
"Sword Of Damocles"
"March Of The Damned"
"Down In Flames"
"Hell & Back"
"Cold Blooded"
"Metalizer"
"Crossfire"
"Secrets Of The Dead"
"Battle Cry"
"Beginning Of The End"

Bonus Tracks:

"Snakebite"
"Tears Of Blood"
"Creatures"
"Bring It On"
"Never Forget"

Listen to "March Of The Damned" and "Redeemer Of Souls" now:

"Halls Of Valhalla" preview:

"Crossfire" preview with commentary from frontman Rob Halford:

BraveWords sat down with original metal gods Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton along with new guitarist Richie Faulkner (who replaced original member KK Downing in 2011) recently in New York. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

BraveWords: Richie, how was it for you recording your first studio album with Priest?

Richie Faulkner: "Well, it was a very organic experience. It was a very natural one, personally. Growing up, learning how to write songs in school bands, you listened to guys like Priest - 'What do they do here? How do they construct the song? What it is about this part of the song that makes me feel a certain way?' And you analyze these things as an early songwriter, and put them into your own songs. So without knowing it, you're already taking a master class in songwriting. And then when you start to put ideas forward, you don't have to put a different 'hat' on or write in a different way, it's what comes naturally from learning those songs and how to write songs back in the day, when you're learning to do it for the first time. So from the first rehearsals in Priest, it was very much an inclusive atmosphere. 'What do you think about the stage set? Set list? Changes in the songs we can make, to make the experience bigger and better, and all the creative input goes into one pot to create the best for the band.' And that was no exception with the writing process - very inclusive. We started throwing ideas into the hat, and it was organic, very natural, and direct. A very inclusive creative process to be a part of."

BraveWords: How would you say this album compares to previous Priest albums?

Rob Halford: "They've all got their own separate identity. That's the great thing that I've always personally treasured about Priest. From Rocka Rolla 40 years ago to Redeemer of Souls, there is a connection running through that's instinctively the sound of Judas Priest, but each record has always been able to stand on its own legs and its character. The Painkiller record is as different to Stained Class as Stained Class is to Screaming for Vengeance to Point of Entry. 17 times that's happened. We've always been very proud in that respect, that we're not a metal band that keeps replicating things. I think the only thing that has been consistent has been that we've always perceived ourselves as a classic heavy metal band, in the way that metal is defined in all these different labels and boxes and characters. With us, we're a classic heavy metal band, so I think what we've done on Redeemer of Souls is just reinforce that and really push that to the front more than ever before. And you can sense that. Each of these songs are totally separate statements. But collectively, they represent the embodiment of Judas Priest."

Read more at Bravewords.com.

Pre-order Redeemer Of Souls at here or via Amazon below: