ROB HALFORD On JUDAS PRIEST: 'The Lineup Has Changed Over The Years, But The Music Hasn't'

In a new interview with the "Three Sides Of The Coin" podcast, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked how he and his bandmates have managed to keep the group together for five decades. He responded (see video below): "It's been tough. It's no different to KISS. Everybody has their ups and downs, especially bands that have had the great joy and incredible fan support. Because, as Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] said to me many, many years ago, 'Without your fans, you've got nothing,' and that's a fact. So the music is what represents you; the music is what it's all about. And as difficult as those times are when you do have a change in the lineup, the music is still there. That's your reference point, and that's what leads you on, that's what keeps you together. No matter how you are presenting yourself, you are keeping the band together in a musical sense. So when PRIEST go out now, we play songs from 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' or even 'Rocka Rolla' — you never know — to the present day. And the lineup has changed over the years, but the music hasn't; the music is still the same. The music is the reference, and that's a really important thing to remember."

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003.

JUDAS PRIEST's latest album, "Firepower", was released in March 2018 via Epic.

Halford is promoting his autobiography, "Confess", which arrived on September 29 via Hachette Books. The book has been described by the U.K.'s The Telegraph as "one of the most candid and surprising memoirs of the year."

Last month, JUDAS PRIEST and Rufus Publications announced the publication of the first-ever official JUDAS PRIEST book documenting the band's extensive history over the last 50 years. Titled "Judas Priest - 50 Heavy Metal Years", the book has been put together by David Silver, Ross Halfin and Jayne Andrews.

Prior to being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, JUDAS PRIEST's spring/summer 2020 European tour was scheduled to kick off on May 30 in Helsinki, Finland and conclude on July 28 in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The band was also slated to headline the U.K's Bloodstock Open Air festival on August 9 at Catton Park, Derbyshire.

The U.S. leg of PRIEST's "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour was due to launch September 9 in Oxon Hill, Maryland and wrap up on October 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.