It's been half a century since Judas Priest formed, first under the name Freight. They'd change the name a year later and after countless world tours and 18 full length albums, there's still more to come as guitarist Glenn Tipton has already started working on riffs for the next record.

In recent weeks, Rob Halford confirmed that the follow-up to 2018's Firepower was "definitely" coming. Things have become a bit more concrete as the singer told Do You Know Jack? that fans can "absolutely" expect a new album in the not-too-distant future. "In fact, Glenn's back in the U.K. now making riffs and going through… We have massive archives of riffs. It never stops," stated the Metal God.

"That's the joy of Priest in terms of creativity — we never seem to slow down," he went on, adding, "And when you get a successful record like Firepower, that motivates you even further. Any band will tell you that. You feed off the energy of what your fans are giving you. You wanna see your fans again and you wanna bring your fans something different next time. So that means making another metal song, which, amplify that by 10 ideas, and you've got another album. So that's the plan. There will be another album from Priest in the very near future."

It's also a good sign for fans who were wondering what Tipton's role would be regarding a new album as he stepped away from his live role in the band due to complications from Parkinson's Disease. Firepower co-producer Andy Sneap was brought in on live duties and bassist Ian Hill recently weighed in on how long this role could last.

In June of last year, the Glenn Tipton's Parkinson's Foundation was launched, with the "No Surrender" T-shirt proceeds going to the cause.

Catch Judas Priest on their North American tour with Uriah Heep at the following dates:

May 03 - Hollywood, Fla. @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
May 06 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
May 08 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Fox Theatre
May 09 - Biloxi, Miss. @ Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
May 12 - Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem
May 14 - Huntington, N.Y. @ The Paramount
May 15 - Huntington, N.Y. @ The Paramount
May 16 - Uncasville, Ct. @ Mohegan Sun Arena
May 18 - Albany, N.Y. @ Palace Theatre
May 19 - Albany, N.Y. @ Palace Theatre
May 22 - Milwaukee, Wis. @ Riverside Theater
May 23 - Milwaukee, Wis. @ Riverside Theater
May 25 - Rosemont, Ill. @ Rosemont Theatre
May 28 - Austin, Texas @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
May 29 - Austin, Texas @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
May 31 - Dallas, Texas @ The Bomb Factory
Jun. 01 - Little Rock, Ark. @ First Security Amphitheater
Jun. 03 - St. Louis, Mo. @ Stifel Theatre
Jun. 05 - Colorado Springs, Colo. @ Broadmoor World Arena
Jun. 08 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan @ SaskTel Centre
Jun. 10 - Lethbridge, Alberta @ ENMAX Centre
Jun. 11 - Edmonton, Alberta @ Rogers Place
Jun. 13 - Dawson Creek, British Columbia @ Encana Events Centre
Jun. 14 - Prince George, British Columbia @ CN Centre
Jun. 16 - Kelowna, British Columbia @ Prospera Place
Jun. 17 - Abbotsford, British Columbia @ Abbotsford Centre
Jun. 19 - Airway Heights, Wash. @ Northern Quest Resort and Casino
Jun. 21 - Kent, Wash. @ Accesso Showare Center
Jun. 22 - Portland, Ore. @ Moda Theatre of the Clouds
Jun. 24 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Warfield Theatre
Jun. 25 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Warfield Theatre
Jun. 27 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Microsoft Theater
Jun. 28 - Ontario, Calif. @ Citizens Business Bank Arena
Jun. 29 - Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel

Where Does Judas Priest's Firepower Rank Among the Top 30 Metal Albums of 2018?

 

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