JUDAS PRIEST Guitarist RICHIE FAULKNER's ELEGANT WEAPONS Announces Second Album 'Evolution', Shares 'Bridges Burn' Single

ELEGANT WEAPONS, the hard rock and heavy metal powerhouse led by JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner, has released a new single, "Bridges Burn", the first track from the band's forthcoming sophomore album "Evolution", due April 24, 2026 on Exciter Records.

The album will be released digitally and on CD on April 24, 2026, with a special edition vinyl pressing to follow later in the year.

The lead single "Bridges Burn" is available now on all streaming platforms. Watch the official lyric video below.

ELEGANT WEAPONS features a formidable lineup: Richie Faulkner (JUDAS PRIEST),vocalist Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, MSG),bassist Dave Rimmer (URIAH HEEP) and drummer Christopher Williams (ACCEPT).

With "Evolution", the band pushes its sound forward — combining razor-sharp riffing, arena-sized hooks, and technical precision with a chemistry forged through touring and collaboration. The album was co-produced by Faulkner alongside Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST's touring guitarist, who also produced PRIEST's "Invincible Shield" and "Firepower" albums),with the recording spanning Nashville, Europe, and France — a truly global effort reflecting the band's international pedigree.

"This record represents growth in every sense," said Richie Faulkner. "When the four of us come together, we sound like ELEGANT WEAPONS. We've spent time on the road, we've developed a chemistry, and you can hear that evolution in the performances. I'm proud of what we've built, and I'm excited to begin this next chapter with Exciter Records."

For Exciter Records, the signing marks a strategic move into contemporary metal while reinforcing the label's deep ties to the genre's foundations. Exciter Records and its publishing affiliate Reach Music, recently acquired JUDAS PRIEST's landmark early albums "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings Of Destiny", making the partnership with Richie Faulkner and ELEGANT WEAPONS a natural continuation of that legacy into a new era.

"Richie Faulkner is not only one of the most respected guitarists as a member of JUDAS PRIEST, but he is also a leader in forming and developing ELEGANT WEAPONS," said Michael Closter, founder and president of Exciter Records. "Signing ELEGANT WEAPONS is a natural step for Exciter Records as we continue to honor metal's heritage while investing in its future."

The album features standout tracks including the opener "Evil Eyes", the groove-driven anthem "Generation Me", and the lead single "Bridges Burn", alongside the instrumental "Rupture", an emotionally charged composition inspired in part by Faulkner's life-threatening onstage medical emergency in 2021.

With "Evolution", ELEGANT WEAPONS solidify their identity as a band defined not simply by pedigree, but by forward momentum.

Track listing

01. Evil Eyes
02. Generation Me
03. Bridges Burn
04. Holy Roller
05. Come Back To Me
06. The Devil Calls
07. Thrown To The Wolves
08. Shooting Shadows
09. Rupture
10. Mercy Of The Fallen
11. Keeper Of The Keys

Last October, Romero told Tim Caple of Rock 'N' Blues Experience about ELEGANT WEAPONS's sophomore album: "I think it's gonna be fantastic. Also, I feel like it's really a step forward from the first one, because when I recorded the first album, the album actually was already recorded by another singer. So what I did, it was just going to the studio and trying to fit my vocals on what it was already done. And it took me two or three days doing that recording. But this time we took the time, going to the studio, being all together with Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap and just working on the songs: 'This kind of lyrics works.' 'This doesn't work.' 'We need to change the vocal line.' 'We need to change the key.' 'We need to change this.' 'We need to add some backing vocals here.' And we spent a lot of time together, so this is more ELEGANT WEAPONS than the first one."

Ronnie previously discussed the upcoming ELEGANT WEAPONS effort in May 2025 in an interview with J.J. Caithcart of Different Stages Radio. He said at the time: "When I joined the band, the [first] album was recorded already. They had a different singer, so the songs were there. I just needed to listen to the songs and the previous singer and then try to record on my own way, but [there was] still a lack of personality of my voice in that way. But this time we were working together with Andy Sneap and with Richie Faulkner, the three of us, working on the lyrics, working on the vocal lines, working on the harmonies, working all together. We spent a lot of time in the studio together doing all this work, the vocal production."

Regarding the musical direction of the new ELEGANT WEAPONS material, Ronnie said: "It is an evolution of the band. We have this stable lineup with Christopher Williams from ACCEPT and Dave Rimmer from URIAH HEEP. So, it is more ELEGANT WEAPONS than the first one, I would say. The songs are great. There is a few great songs that — I was talking with Richie yesterday and I said, 'Every day I like a different one.' It's, like, today I like this one very much, and then I listen to the album again and now I like this other one because it's a different thing. But, yeah, I think it's a great album. And it's gonna sound like an evolution of the band, for sure."

Back in April 2025, Faulkner told Igor Miranda of Brazil's Rolling Stone magazine about the second ELEGANT WEAPONS album: "It's great. Obviously, it's me, Ronnie Romero, and it's like an evolution, the second time around, because the band is solidified. It's Christopher Williams on drums, Davey Rimmer on bass and Ronnie and myself."

In October 2024, Faulkner told Clint Switzer of On The Road To Rock about ELEGANT WEAPONS:  "Ronnie's fantastic. Again, he's one of those guys, he's not only a singer, he's a frontman. He fronts the band. There's a lot of people I know, they've got great voices, but it takes a frontman or frontwoman, front person to do that job. So Ronnie's definitely got that.

"We did some dates [in 2023] in Europe, which was fantastic," he continued. "We did some dates with PANTERA, which was nuts. You can imagine opening up for them."

Richie went on to say that he never intended ELEGANT WEAPONS to just be a one-album project. "That's what it was about, really. It wasn't about the one record recorded during COVID; it was about a band that goes on," he explained. "We've all got our different things, obviously — PRIEST, ACCEPT, Ronnie's got his stuff — but we wanted it to be a proper band with multiple records doing live dates, which we've done. But it's just, obviously, when PRIEST are out, ACCEPT are out, URIAH HEEP are out at the moment as well, when we find a window in between for that, then we'll look at releasing the second record. So, that's an exciting thing to think about, too."

In 2023, Richie told Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global that he planned on focusing on ELEGANT WEAPONS full-time once PRIEST has officially called it a day.

"PRIEST music is gonna be around a lot longer than we are," he said. "It's legendary music. They're genre-defining musicians and it's a genre-defining band. It will be around for a long time. But none of us gets out of this alive. That's just the reality of it. So if one day that call comes in and that's the last tour or the last album, whatever it is… I mean, I joined the band on what was the farewell tour. Luckily it wasn't, and we're still here 12 years later. [It's] fantastic. But at the time, I think I would have been silly not to consider what I was gonna do after the band, because of the circumstances of the tour. It was a farewell tour — it was [supposed to be] the last tour — so what am I gonna do after? So it's always been in the back of my mind. And this is a band that seems natural to me to continue with if that call ever came in."

ELEGANT WEAPONS made its first two festival appearances in June 2023 at Hellfest in Clisson, France and at Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium.

ELEGANT WEAPONS' debut album, "Horns For A Halo", was released in May 2023 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with bassist Rex Brown (PANTERA, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS and MEGADETH, among many others.

ELEGANT WEAPONS played additional shows in Europe through July 2023. The trek included performances with PANTERA, festival appearances and headlining shows.