Judas Priest's Glenn Tipton (guitars) and Richie Faulkner (guitars) are featured in a new interview with Guitar International's Robert Cavuoto, who talks to the guys about perspectives on the new CD (Redeemer Of Souls), as well as their insights into what solid teamwork, dedication, and love for metal can produce. An excerpt follows:

Q: When you sit down to write new material for Priest, how do you evolve as a band, yet stay true to Judas Priest’s history and legacy?

Glenn Tipton: "We just sat down and wrote. We didn’t consciously try and do a Priest album, which is surprising. Neither of us knew how it was going to work out. We knew that Richie blended in perfectly onstage, but we had no idea, how we were going to write together. It’s like a miracle. We carried on writing the way we always have; bringing in ideas and then joining them together. Priest songs just emerge one after the other. We wrote about 19 to 20 songs."

Q: I’m assuming you brought that energy to writing and recording.

Richie Faulkner: "It’s impossible for me to say, but from what I’ve heard from fans and the band, there seems to be some kind of renewed vigor. We didn’t consciously want to go back and revisit any time period in the band’s career. We just wanted to write from the heart – pure metal. The character of the band is so strong – the band’s never lost it over the last four years in my opinion."

Q: I imagine that when you sit down to write for Priest, you have riffs stockpiled, was that the case?

Richie Faulkner: "All those riffs that you developed as a teenager which you can’t play in your own band, because it sounds too much like Priest. Now you can bring it all forward. I listened to twin guitar bands like Priest, Sabbath, Thin Lizzie and Maiden for inspiration, to learn how write and convey emotion. I was learning how to write Priest songs long before I joined the band. So when I did join, it was a very natural process. The band came from progressive blues, and I’ve always been true to that music when I started playing guitar. So it was a very natural meshing."

Q: I understand that you didn’t consciously go out to write a typical Priest album or try to repeat yourself in any way, but was there any Priest album that was used as a template or a gauge?

Glenn Tipton: "No, we didn’t consciously sit down and try and relate songs from the past. There are elements that are similar to other songs, but that’s where it ends. These songs stand alone in their own right, which is just the way we write. It’s the natural things that come out of us and makes up Judas Priest songs. We’re lucky that the formula works for us and is very recognizable."

Richie Faulkner: "You can give 13 new tracks to 13 fans and they’ll all come up with, “Oh, that’s something from this era or that year.” And every one will be different. It’s interesting to hear two people say different things about the same song and where it could be placed, or what it reminds them of in the band’s career."

Read the full interview at Guitar International.

According to Billboard, Judas Priest could nab its first top 10 album ever on the Billboard 200 chart. Industry sources forecast the group's new set, Redeemer Of Souls to sell upwards of 30,000 copies in the week ending July 13th. The album is the band's 17th studio effort, and first since 2008's Nostradamus, which topped out at #11.

Read BraveWords' review of Redeemer Of Souls at this location.

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"

Judas Priest have added two Canadian dates to the itinerary for their upcoming Redeemer Of Souls Tour 2014. Dates have been announced for Montreal on October 6th, and Toronto (Orillia) on October 7th.

Redeemer Of Souls Tour 2014 Dates:

October

1 - Rochester, NY - Main Street Armory
3 - Hammond, IN - The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
4 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Fest at Champions
6 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
7 - Orillia, ON - Casino Rama
9 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays
10 - Atlantic City, NJ - Harrah's
11 - Mashantucket, CT - MGM Grand Theater at Foxwood's
14 - Lowell, MA - Tsongas Center at UMass
15 - Allentown, PA - PPL Center
17 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center
19 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
24 - Baltimore, MD - Pier Six Pavilion
28 - Duluth, GA - The Arena at Gwinnett Center
30 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live Arena

November

6 - Allen, TX - Allen Event Center
7 - Austin, TX - FunFunFun Fest
10 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia
12 - Phoenix, AZ - Jobing Arena
13 - Highland, CA - San Manuel Casino
14 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl
16 - San Jose, CA - City National Civic
18 - Salt Lake City, UT - Maverik Center