Former JUDAS PRIEST Guitarist K.K. DOWNING: 'Metal Has Been In Full Flight Once Again'

December 22, 2011

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing has posted the following year-end message on his official web site, Steel Mill:

"Wow! Where did that year go? Anyway, I think that you will agree that it was another great festival year and metal has been in full flight once again.

"Please feel free to write in to Steel Mill and tell us about your particular highlights and the band that you thought were great and why!

"It's great to hear that [the original members of BLACK] SABBATH are gearing up for something special next year, in addition, I suspect that there will be many other great things that will come to fruition in 2012. But for now, I just want to wish you the best festive season that you have ever had.

"As always, I am indebted to the loyal millworkers for all of their hard work and dedication to me and to metal. And it goes without saying that without you the loyal fans to metal, there would not be a metal world at all!

"Until we meet again, keep feeding the flames that keep the metal furnaces alive and burning. My love and respect will forever be there for you all! Where ever you may be."

Earlier this year, Downing revealed that he would be leaving JUDAS PRIEST prior to the band's "Epitaph" world tour. In October, Downing spoke to Valley Radio Online about what happened, although he declined to go into specifics.

"It was a set of circumstances that led me to not go out [on tour with PRIEST] this year," Downing said. "I was kind of geared up for it, but there was a multitude of reasons. It pretty much came down to an unsettlement on my part with working relationships.

"It's like anything else. If anybody out there is thinking it's hard to live with one woman, they should try to live with four guys and hold it together. [Laughs]"

Downing's place in the band was filled by new guitarist Richie Faulkner.

"It was a massive consideration," Downing said. "Obviously, the fans, who I love, and many of them have become very good friends. But I just hoped that they would appreciate that I couldn't continue with the way that I felt inside for reasons which I'll… I mean, certain reasons I will never, ever disclose."

Find more on

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).