Former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing's new autobiography, Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest, is due for release on September 18th via Da Capo Press.

Speaking about the book with MyGlobalMind, K.K. talks about Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, who came out as gay in an interview with MTV News in 1998.

Asked if the band went to any length to hide Rob's sexuality in the beginning, as times were not as diverse as they are now, K.K. responds: "No, the US was different than the UK. The two most sexual liberated countries in the world were Sweden as they were the first ones to have mixed saunas and Jacuzzi’s and Amsterdam being the first to legalize prostitution. Somewhere in the mix was the UK and being gay wasn’t such a big thing. There was never an attempt to hide Rob’s sexuality by the band or himself. We didn’t have any great exposure in the media. We weren’t a band of interest or notoriety and didn’t make any headlines. If someone made an issue of one’s sexuality during that time, they would have been looked down upon by the masses."

Asking if it surprises him when fans say they had no idea that Rob was gay until he announced it, Downing answers: "Within the industry, it wasn’t a secret. If it were, it would have been the world’s worst secret! In the industry, there were a lot of people who were gay artists whether in theater, movies, or music. It’s fair to say there are a lot of gay artistic people. In the way that he performed, presented himself through his lyrics and abilities it was all based around being artistic. The great Freddie Mercury called his band Queen and went on with it as well. It was a breath of fresh air."

Read the full interview at a href="https://myglobalmind.com/2018/09/05/k-k-downing-of-judas-priest-on-his-new-book-heavy-duty-days-and-nights-in-judas-priest-there-was-something-about-being-in-priest-that-i-couldnt-walk-away-from/" target="_blank">MyGlobalMind.com.

Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest is available for pre-order here.

A book synopsis states: Judas Priest formed in the industrial city of Birmingham, England, in 1968. With its distinctive twin-guitar sound, studs-and-leather image, and international sales of over 50 million records, Judas Priest became the archetypal heavy metal band in the 1980s. Iconic tracks like “Breaking The Law”, “Living After Midnight”, and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” helped the band achieve extraordinary success, but no one from the band has stepped out to tell their or the band’s story until now.

As the band approaches its golden anniversary, fans will at last be able to delve backstage into the decades of shocking, hilarious, and haunting stories that surround the heavy metal institution. In Heavy Duty guitarist K.K. Downing discusses frontman Rob Halford’s hidden sexuality, the personality conflicts, the business screw-ups, the acrimonious relationship with fellow heavy metal band Iron Maiden, and how Judas Priest was at ground zero for the parental outrage targeting heavy metal in the ’80s. Lastly, he reveals the life-changing moment when he looked at his bandmates on stage during a 2010 concert and thought, “This is the last show.” Whatever the topic, whoever’s involved, K.K. doesn’t hold back.

With the band at the beginning through his retirement in 2010 (and even still as a member of the band’s board of directors), Downing has seen it all and is now finally at a place in his life where he can also let it all go. Even if you’re a lifelong fan, if you think you know the full story of Judas Priest, well, you’ve got another thing coming.