JUDAS PRIEST's 'Firepower' Album Was Written And Recorded Over Six-Month Period

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford and guitarist Richie Faulkner were recently interviewed by the U.K.'s "The Sound Lab" radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below (note: the interview begins around the 25-minute mark). A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On why "Firepower" was chosen as the title of PRIEST's new album:

Rob: "Whenever we make a record, it's important to try and get some kind of suggestion of the content of the whole experience, and in this case, when we were looking through the titles that we had, we felt that this word 'firepower' was gonna be the best representation of the 'Firepower' experience."

On how long it took to write the "Firepower" album:

Richie: "I think the writing sessions for this record took around three months — to come up with the demos. So we had however many tracks it was. So it was three months writing, three months recording. And, to be honest, we were refining those songs right up until we pressed 'record.' But the main writing sessions were three months with me, Rob and Glenn [Tipton, guitar]."

On whether they find writing music easier or harder these days, considering they have such a vast back catalogue of music:

Rob: "'Firepower' is the 18th full-length studio album for JUDAS PRIEST, so that's a lot of metal songs over the decades. And the writing process is always the same, really. I think the wisdom that you gain through all of the years of writing songs has to have some bearing on the outcome at the end. So, as far as it being any easier or any tougher, I think it really is in how you perceive it yourself. But for me, personally, the music for 'Firepower' just seemed to flow out of the writing sessions that we had together — Glenn and Richie and myself — daily in the studio: five days a week, weekends off, for the three-month period. There was an enormous amount of information, material, pouring through every day. So, to be honest, in some respects, it was a little bit easier this time."

On whether they had an inkling, 50 years ago, that JUDAS PRIEST would be so successful and still around so many decades later:

Rob: "When you're starting any band, I don't think you have any idea as to how long your particular journey is gonna last; you really don't have a clue. I think when you come together as musicians, that's the furthest thing from your mind. You're working as a band to put your original material together with the hopes of connecting to a fanbase and then, if things are going well, to make a connection to a record company. And from that point on, it's very much in the lap of the gods. I've always felt that, as far as where PRIEST has been able to get to, it's been down to our discipline, our real love and commitment to making the best music that we can make and never forgetting our fanbase. And a lot of other things combined have made this incredible journey that is now gearing up to 50 years in 2019."

"Firepower" was released on March 9 via Epic.

JUDAS PRIEST kicked off the "Firepower" world tour on March 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

The North American leg of the "Firepower" tour will wrap on May 1 in San Antonio, Texas.