Guesting on Talking Metal, Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill addressed producer / guitarist Andy Sneap's place within the band. Sneap - who has played guitars with Sabbat and Hell - has been filling in for Glenn Tipton, who opted out of extensive touring with the band when his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease made it increasingly more difficult for him to perform live.

Hill: "He put some work aside to do this, and obviously, he's anxious to get back and finish that off. He's probably doing some of that now as we speak, in this short break that we've got. Like I say, if he wants to continue, that's entirely up to him, really. He's done a great job stepping in for Glenn. It would have been very difficult if he hadn't been there, on such short notice, because we didn't realize that Glenn couldn't handle the intensity of touring anymore until... we were only about three weeks away from starting the tour, and Andy stepped in and did a great job. He pulled a real rabbit out of the hat in learning a complete setlist of songs in such a short period of time. And as time's gone on, obviously, his stage presence, he got more comfortable with that, and he's performing great now. So when the time comes… we'll give it to the end of this run and then see what everybody wants to do."

Rob Halford of Judas Priest spoke with Kirby Ray on Real Rock 99.3 on April 5th about the third leg of the Firepower Tour and he revealed some of the surprise songs that Richie Faulkner alluded to when addressing a fan on a recent Twitter post.

Rob says fans can expect: “Out In The Cold”, “Rapid Fire”, “The Sentinel”, “(Take These) Chains”, “Killing Machine” and a couple tracks from Firepower.

“Metal maniacs - Judas Priest is roaring back to the USA for one more blast of Firepower! Firepower 2019 charges forth with new first time performances born out of Firepower, as well as fresh classic cuts across the decades from the Priest world metalsphere. Our visual stage set and light show will be scorching a unique, hot, fresh vibe - mixing in headline festivals, as well as the in-your-face venue close ups. We can’t wait to reunite and reignite our maniacs...THE PRIEST IS BACK!” - Judas Priest

There are few heavy metal bands that have managed to scale the heights that Judas Priest have during their nearly 50-year career - responsible for issuing such all-time classic albums as British Steel, Screaming For Vengeance, and Painkiller, as well as the anthems “Breaking The Law,” “Living After Midnight,” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.”

And Priest’s presence and influence remains strong, as evidenced by the chart performance of Firepower and its glowing reviews, a Grammy Award win for Best Metal Performance, plus being a VH1 Rock Honors recipient and a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nomination. Also, Priest can be credited as being one of the first metal bands to pioneer wearing leather and studs - a look that would eventually be embraced by metalheads throughout the world.

Undoubtedly, Judas Priest’s upcoming North American tour will only add to their ever-growing status of heavy metal legends.

Tour dates:

May
3 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
6 - Nashville, TN - Nashville Municipal Auditorium
8 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
9 - Biloxi, MS - Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
12 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
14 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
15 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
16 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
18 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
19 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
22 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
23 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
25 - Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Theatre
28 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at The Moody Theater
29 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at The Moody Theater
31 - Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory

June
1 - Little Rock, AR - First Security Amphitheater
3 - St. Louis, MO - Stifel Theatre
5 - Colorado Springs, CO - Broadmoor World Arena
8 - Saskatoon, SK - SaskTel Centre
10 - Lethbridge, AB - ENMAX Centre
11 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
13 - Dawson Creek, BC - Encana Events Centre
14 - Prince George, BC - CN Centre
16 - Kelowna, BC - Prospera Place
17 - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Centre
19 - Airway Heights, WA - Northern Quest Resort and Casino
21 - Kent, WA - Accesso Showare Center
22 - Portland, OR - Moda Theatre of the Clouds
24 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
25 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
27 - Los Angeles, CA - Microsoft Theater
29 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at Hard Rock Hote