Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford recently offered The Metal Crypt an update on the band's upcoming nineteenth studio album, which will serve as the follow-up to 2018's Firepower. He confirmed that the record is being worked on, but indicated that it will likely not be released until 2023 or 2024. As previously reported, the album will once again be produced by Andy Sneap, who has also been filling in for longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton on tour over the last four years, as the latter is semi-retired from live performances due to his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease.

Halford was asked if there was "something to be revealed" about the next Judas Priest album. His reply was: "It's so difficult to talk about music, isn't it? Because all of us musicians, we go, 'Oh, it's the greatest thing we've ever done, man. The album just rips colossally, and the drumming is like peeling the skin off your face, and the singing is just so screaming.' [laughter] What is that? What is that...? It's not Firepower number two, that's all I can say. If you look at Judas Priest from Rocka Rolla to Firepower, everything in between has got its character and its identity. That's what we're working on with this one. I think adventurous is a word we've never used before on trying to explain the content. It's adventurous, and now people are going, 'What does he mean by that? Is it going to sound like Dolly Parton?' You'll have to wait and see. It's great, man. It's good. It's solid. It's a very, very good strong follow-up, as they call it, to the last one."

When asked if the band has made plans when the new record will be released, Halford said: "Yes. You throw things out and see if they stick 2023, 2024. I don't know. We've started tracking, been talking openly about that. This is all the slog, this is, because once the song is written, once all the instrumentation, once all that is done, it's just a slog trying to put it together but you've got to get the performance in every performance. That's why you do multiple takes. The only person who is always late to the party is me [chuckles] because I've got my ideas. I've got my ideas for the lyrics and the titles and all of that. I really have to wait until everybody's done the bulk of their work instrumentally before I can sit down and listen and start going, 'I haven't got a fucking thing, my brain won't work. I can't think of what-- I don't know what to do anymore. I can't think of the words. How am I going to sing this?' I go through all the neurosis; I go through all the self-doubts and wallowing in self-pity. Like, 'I'm washed up, I'm useless. I haven't got anything left. I've given it all.' I have to go through that. I have to go through all of that then I start writing like a maniac. I just write too much stuff, so I know that that's waiting to happen and I dread it. I also get a thrill about it because I know that once we get to that stage, once we lay down the vocals, then the songs and the album is really starting to sound complete. It's coming together, man. It's going to be great. It's going to be great."

Source:	metalcrypt.com
Band profile:	Judas Priest