Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton, who retired from touring with the band in February 2018 due to his battle with Parkinson's disease, is working on new material for the band's next album. Frontman Rob Halford broke the news during an interview with Do You Know Jack?, found below.

Halford: "Glenn's back in the UK now making riffs and going through… we have massive archives of riffs. It never stops. That's the joy of Priest in terms of creativity: we never seem to slow down, and when you get a successful record like Firepower, that motivates you even further. Any band will tell you that. You feed off the energy of what your fans are giving you, you want to see your fans again and you want to bring your fans something different next time. So that means making another metal song, which, amplify that by 10 ideas, and you've got another album. So that's the plan. There will be another album from Priest in the very near future."

“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