RICHIE FAULKNER On JUDAS PRIEST 'Pushing Forward' Musically: 'They Were Always Pioneers'

In a new interview with 96.9 BOB FM, Richie Faulkner was asked how his role in JUDAS PRIEST has evolved since he joined the band 14 years ago as the replacement for PRIEST's original guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a good question. I think, like with any role, when you come in first, initially you have to keep your own house in order. So you're very much focused on what you are doing and how your performances [are and making sure] you're playing everything correctly and doing everything you should be doing. I think as the time goes on, you become more aware and more a part of, what are we doing? What are we doing as a collective? What can we do to make it better — better performances, better records or whatever it may be. So that definitely changes. And as I said, that's probably the same in any situation — in any group, a football team or an office, when you come in, you have one kind of mindset. And as you become more a part of that team, more close to everyone in that team, you become more a part of it. And I think that that's no different in this band as well. And [the other guys in PRIEST have] always been open to opinions. And that kind of mindset really helps, I think, the situation as a whole. Everyone has got their own opinion and we all work together to make it the best we can be for a fanbase that's put them there for over 50 years. And I think that's how it's changed, really. You just become part of that."

Asked if he finds it important to keep JUDAS PRIEST moving forward creatively by always recording and releasing new music, Richie said: "I think it's important for a band that has a creative energy like that to nurture that creative energy and try and push forward. And I think they always have tried to do that. They've always pushed into new areas. They were always pioneers.

"There's a certain time when everyone comes into PRIEST's catalog — it might be 'Painkiller', it might be 'Stained Class' or it might be 'Killing Machine' — but there's a younger audience out there now as well," Faulkner explained. "And we talk to them sometimes and their first album they heard was 'Firepower' or it was 'Invincible Shield'. So I think they're important right across the board. Our last album was as important as other ones for those people that are seeing PRIEST for the first time. And there's always that creative itch that we have to do better, as I said before — a better record, better production, better songwriting, better solo, better performance, whatever it is. I think we're all driven in PRIEST to do that. So it's just a natural thing. Whether it's important or not to everyone, I don't know — some people might see that differently — but I think it's important for us in PRIEST as creatives to nurture that and get that creative stuff out, if you know what I mean."

In 2011, Faulkner came in to replace Downing, who had left in 2010. The move seemed to have reinvigorated the band as evidenced by a show-stealing performance on the "American Idol" finale that also served as Faulkner's debut performance with the band.

JUDAS PRIEST and Alice Cooper kicked off their summer/fall 2025 co-headlining tour on September 16 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Support on the trek is coming from CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. The tour is making its way through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, winding down on October 16 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston.

PRIEST last toured the U.S. in the fall of 2024 as part of the second leg of its "Invincible Shield" tour and the release of the band's celebrated 19th studio album, which debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Box office reports submitted to Pollstar from last fall include a sellout YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, with 5,481 tickets sold.

Earlier this year, PRIEST completed a run of South American and European dates.

During the European leg of JUDAS PRIEST's "Shield Of Pain" tour, the band's setlist included seven tracks from PRIEST's 1990 album "Painkiller", which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

In addition to performing the "Painkiller" title track, PRIEST played "All Guns Blazing", "Hell Patrol", "A Touch Of Evil", "Night Crawler", "One Shot At Glory" and "Between The Hammer And The Anvil" from the same LP.

PRIEST formed in 1969 and has sold over 50 million albums.