Former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing has been making the media rounds in support of his new autobiography, Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest. He recently spoke with Philadelphia's WTXF about his career with the band, and his reasons for leaving. Check out the interview below.

Downing: "Should I have stuck in there and carried on? Well, I could have done that, but I just felt as though I was... the consultation wasn't there with myself and the rest of the band members, the guys in the band, which should have been there. I didn't like the fact that it felt like I was working for someone or some organization. I deserve more respect than that, really, but things were just being put on the table - 'this is what you need to do' - and I just didn't want to have a continued acceptance of that."

In the clip below, Trunk Nation host Eddie Trunk talks about Downing's forthcoming book, sharing a couple topics that are addressed.

K.K. Downing's autobiography is due for release on September 18th via Da Capo Press. Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest is now available for pre-order via here.

Downing has released a shot of the back cover of the book, which can be viewed below.

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.