Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford is featured in a new interview with San Francisco Examiner, in which he discusses the band's new Firepower album, and guitarist Glenn Tipton sitting out their current tour due to a Parkinson’s diagnosis. Read an excerpt below:

San Francisco Examiner: It’s ironic that you should release “Firepower” just as gun-control issues are reaching a fever pitch, while various world leaders are bragging about the size of their missiles.

Rob Halford: "I know. But when I came up with the title, it was referencing the fire of metal and the power of metal, and I remember understanding fire in the aggressive sense, but also seeing this as a message of strength for the metal community."

Read the full interview at San Francisco Examiner.

The Firepower tour, with support from Saxon and Black Star Riders, runs through May 1st before heading to Europe for the summer. Remaining North American dates are listed below.

April
17 - Portland, OR - Veterans Memorial Coliseum
19 - San Francisco - The Warfield
22 - Los Angeles, CA - Microsoft Theater
24 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
26 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
28 - Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory
29 - Sugarland, TX - Smart Financial Centre

May
1 - San Antonio, TX - Freeman Coliseum

Judas Priest debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with Firepower, marking the group’s highest charting album ever.

The album surpasses the group’s previous chart high, logged when 2014’s Redeemer Of Souls debuted and peaked at #6. In the UK, Firepower landed at #5, marking the band's highest ranking since British Steel in 1980.