August 2007

Kieran Jackson:
Hi K.K. This is Kieran Jackson. I would like to first congratulate you on a splendid album (Angel of Retribution). I enjoyed every single last minute of it. Your solos on “Hellrider” and “Judas Rising” were mind blowing. Anyway, to my question: I am a new guitarist and you’re one of my main influences even though most of my stuff sounds bluesy which isn't a bad thing. Could you give me any tips for practicing and playing please?
P.S Come to Cambridgeshire

Hi Kieran. It would be more easy to give some advise if I knew what level you were at but I can always say that scales are the key to soloing. If you or anyone reading this were asked how many scales am I familiar with and how many can I execute well, what would your answer b? Practicing scales does not have to be boring, try to practice them by playing along to a record. For example play a song with a solo you like and work out what the rhythm underneath is doing so that you can sus out what scales you can play. For eg try Yngwie Malmsteen’s “You Don’t Remember I’ll Never Forget” - the solo is in A minor (don't forget he tunes down half a step). Now try playing along using  A Minor, a minor blues, A harmonic minor, A whole tone half tone, and A flat diminished. Now you can have some fun, I must as usual advise everyone to learn guitar tab because it is the best help you can get to see what notes and scales professionals are using.

Regards K.K.

Chris Gates:
I like your guitar work. I was born the same year Sad Wings came out... Some of your lyrics are " immoral." SICK actually! Judas is Rising says "None will be saved." Is that supposed to be a "selling point?" It sounds hopeless...Some of your lyrics are positive on the new album compared 2 the older stuff. I guess your attitude changes over the years. I would appreciate a response, even though u are probably a busy dude...
Thanks, Chris Gates

Hi Chris, I do not follow any religion although I do respect all religions but if being a Christian means that I am a good, honest, charitable person then I am happy to be one. I think that our lyrics are really quite subjective and open to a variety of interpritations as you have pointed out with “Judas Rising” because to you it means one thing, but to me it is a celebration of our first tour back with Rob after fourteen years.

Regards K.K.

Matt, Texas:
Hello Mr. Downing. My name is Matt. I am from Tx. I've been a fan since 2002 after hearing ”Turbo Lover” on the video game Gran Turismo 3. Anyway, I've always wanted to know if u guys could fit into your tour dates and stop in Corpus Christi again, though I may not get a ticket for the show. Of course it was with the mighty Ripper Owens back in '01 and I was in Austin at the time. I've also wanted to know if you guys would consider bringing back songs from the ”Jugulator” album i.e. Jugulator, Bullet Train, and Burn In Hell and see if Rob could sing those songs as well as Ripper. Also, the question on every fan's mind, Will you release album footage from the Painkiller days? We'd really appreciate it.

Hi Matt. At this point in time I do not think we would consider playing the Ripper songs with Rob. As you know the fans are always asking us to play songs that we have not played for so long: Sinner, Freewheel Burning, Genocide, Rock Hard Ride Free, Blood Red Skies etc,etc. So together with the many Nostradamus songs and the back catalogue we might have our hands full this time around but as i keep saying we never say never!. As for the Painkiller footage I am not sure if there is anything but I will ask the question

Regards K.K.

Gabor:
Hi! I'm a big fan of Judas Priest and Halford from Hungary. In the attachment you find a Halford song, with my own voice (it's made when I was 17 years old, now I'm 24), Please check it out, and write a comment!! It would be an honor to hear your opinion! Regards Gabor

Hi Gabor, Cool! The voice sounds excellent and so does the band. Be sure to send this to Rob just to keep him on his toes.

Regards K.K.

Jonas Bye, Norway:

Hey K.K.
It's great how you take care of your fans and answer questions. You really put a lot of time into it, which isn't that common amongst musicians like you (not to talk about the mill workers), and I really admire that.
1. Which guitars have you used on the Nostradamus recordings?
2. A lot of people ask what your favourite solo is, but what riff do you enjoy playing the most?
3. Do you have a least favourite song to play live?
4. And whats your favourite brand of beer?
Hope your house is ok after the flood. Take care!

Hi Jonas! I like to favour my older guitars for recording such as my 67 V but I have a couple of new modified Strats that I like playing at the moment. My favourite riff to play on the last tour was “Judas Rising” and no, I enjoy playing everything live. Outside of the U.K I like German and Chezch beer but nearly every country has a good beer on offer and it’s always fun trying them out to see which is best, cheers!!

Regards K.K.

Tim:
I have been frequenting the Judas Priest web site for a while now and virtually the only "complaint" I could have would be it's mis-representation when it comes to the band.  Why is it that you guys do not see the site or respond to the posts to communicate with the band? Why must we go outside what is supposed to be your "official web site" in order to get questions answered? What's with the MySpace when you already have a site? Sorry to be so blunt, but does the band NOT support the site? Is there something we should know? Thanks for your time. Tim

Hi Tim, since the Steel Mill has opened I have enjoyed my communication with you all and have been very happy to respond to all of your correspondence and I must say also happily that you have kept me very busy. As long as the Steel Mill is in production i will be there for you.

Regards K.K.

Steve D.:
Hello K.K.!! Let me start by saying Judas Priest is my favorite band of all time. You guys really rock and I’ve been a fan since the 80’s (I was too young to attend a concert then!!) But now me, my dad and girlfriend have been going to every show since you were reunited. I’m really excited about the Nostradamus tour and hope it will be soon. My question is,, Will Priest do larger venues with bigger stage sets and pyro? I’m from Belleville New jersey (United States) and the biggest Arena here is Continental airlines arena. The last time you were there was 1990 on the Painkiller tour but I missed it. I would love to see you guys again like it was 1986 all over again!!! You guys are the best!!! Keep up the good work and we luv ya here in New jersey!! Thanks!

Hi Steve. Well I can say that always bigger is better, there is nothing worse than playing a venue that is sold out and people can’t get in. And also as you say it gives us a better chance to put some realy cool things together for the show including pyro. But wherever we play we will guarentee you that we will always play and perform with 100% effort and conviction.

Regards K.K.

Brian, USA:

K.K. you are the greatest for allowing the fans to talk directly to you! I just have 2 quick questions. Knowing you were asked to join the Scorps when Mike Schenker left, how do you think the future would have changed if you would have joined them? Question 2 is, I love the Winter-Deep Freeze- Winter Retreat song on Rocka Rolla and I was wondering how you did the solo for Winter Retreat, it's so trippy and amazing. I would love to hear it played live then go into The Sinner next tour!

Regards, Brian, USA
P.S.- Who’s your favorite English League team?

Hi Brian. Well I can only guess but I think the guys in the Scorpions are such talented songwriters that it could only have been successful. I used to do a very long solo and pretty much all of “Winter” was in it, although there were many variations from night to night. So in the studio I just did what I felt at the time. I was born in West Bromwhich so i try to stay loyal. My uncle Bill played for West Brom armatures and my Cousin Keith Downing played for the wolves. I believe he now coaches the under 21s, both teams are local to each other just a few miles apart. Cheers!

Regards K.K.

Glenn Wright:

Hello K.K.

Hi Glenn. I haven't seen that DVD but if I can find a copy I will check it out because anything is possible. There is no secret to meeting us, it’s just a chance thing I guess. Perhaps on the next tour, you never know. Cheers.

Regards K.K.

Mormonthug, behind the zion curtain:
Ken, Curious about your golf course.  Is it complete and open to the public or is it a private course for you and selected guests? As always thanks for your time and hope to see you again on the road in 08

Hi Mormonthug. Yes the course is starting to look good. I have 9 holes almost finished and the next 9 shaped up and should be finished this year. At the moment I am not sure which direction to take but it would be cool to hold a rock /metal tournament in the future, cheers for now.

Regards K.K.

Glenn Fricker, Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada:
Hi KK, I've been a huge Priest fan for some 23 years now, I think I've seen you live on about 8 occasions now. Thanks for all the fantastic music! You guys were my inspiration to pick up a guitar as a teenager, & now I run a fairly successful indie recording studio, producing local bands, & recording guitar for metal acts across the world! (Internet & reamping)

Anyway, enough of the fan-boy stuff. Here's my question: Caviar & Meths was an epic track castrated by Gull records. Does the 2 track mix of the full song still exist? How about the multitrack? Will it ever see the light of day? (As a fan & engineer, it would be a hell of a remix project!) Or has Gull put the nails in the coffin for good as far as the song is concerned?

Thanks very much

Hi Glenn, good question. I honestly have no idea about the original 2 inch master tape but those things only usually have a limited shelf life before they start to disintegrate. As for the 2 track, that is probably still somewhere and was probably copied to digital. I could always ask Chris Tsangarides as he did remaster the songs for Gull but I am not sure what he had to work with. It may well have only been the 2 inch master, I will let you know if I get an update

Regards K.K.

Elwyn, New Zealand:

Hi K.K.

When I was 17 a good friend of mine gave me "British Steel" to listen to. That was it. The start of my Judas Priest passion. Now I am 43 years old!!! I waited and waited and waited. I have yet to see Judas Priest in concert. Come to New Zealand - PLEASE!!!

Of course I have all the records and now cd's. I have all the DVD's. The first video I saw of you guys was "Hot Rockin"!! I was sad when Rob left, but over the moon when he came back.

My question, are you going to include New Zealand in your new tour. I know plenty of people that would fill up any size venue for Judas Priest. Without a doubt. It would be a great highlight in my life to see for my own eyes and hear with my own ears Judas Priest Live with all songs that I've loved in my life.

To see you, Glenn Rob, Scott and Ian in action would just fantastic and something I just have to do, before I get way too old!!!!

Please say that you'll make it to New Zealand on your next tour, we've been waiting forever for you guys and we would love to see you down on our shores.

Regards from a huge fan.

Hi Elwyn. Well I can’t make any promises at this stage but I am sure that I can say on behalf of myself and the guys that we would love to come and play for you and to see New Zealand for the first time. I will certainly ask the promotors when the time comes to see if they can fix up some shows for us.

Regards K.K.

Nick From Baltimore, Maryland:

Dear K.K,

I was wondering, could you, your manager, or the band together maybe write a recomendation letter to Sony, which I believe is your current record label. If not, well anyway on to the other question, do you have any particular sports you like to play, and when Priest goes on tour first can you stop by Baltimore Maryland, because we have a huge amount of Priest fans here, and what is it like to constantly fly, and drive around the world, and so on?

Thanks You Rock.

Hi Nick. I like to play some golf and tennis if I can on days off as it gets you out of the Hotel and you often get to see some of the wonderful outskirts of the towns and cities instead of the usual inner city attractions. And in respect to traveling I often say when asked my profession that I am a professional traveller or at least that’s what it sometimes feels like. But I will never complain as I think that traveling is essential to help you to appreciate and connect with people from all walks of life

Regards K.K.

Claire:
Hi K.K,
I've got 2 questions. How do you keep yourself going when all the touring
gets too much for you? When did JP last play anything from "Rocka Rolla" live? I think you should go back to that sound a bit for the next album, but it's not up to me is it!
I'd be seriously honoured if you'd answer me, but it's no problem if you don't or can't.
Keep feeding the flames, Claire

Hi Claire. Plenty of sleep, good food and plenty of good local beers does the trick for me. Yes I have no idea when we last played any Rocka Rolla but it is certainly an option in the future, thanks Claire.

Regards K.K.

Fabian Martinelli, Buenos Aires, Argentina:

K.K. I do have 2 questions:
I read some time ago that your first song composed in Priest was Run of the Mill.
It was told by Norman Hood , a former manager. Is it true?
The 2nd one is about your improvisation in the Victim of Changes solo during '05 Tour.
I love the part when you play that Strangers in the night melody. It gives a feeling of jamming. How did it come to your mind?

Cheers

PS:for the record attached the pic from Norman Hood reel to reel with your recordings,
pre-Glenn era but with Rob . If you want to check the link with rare photos (if you are not aware of):http://normanhood.co.uk/JUDAS%20PRIEST.htm#judaspriest

Also I attached a photo from me with you in Buenos Aires 2001, that evening you were with Glenn going to ''De La Guarda'' a show with acrobatics and so on.

Hi Fabian. Firstly thank you for the photos, most of which I have never seen. I am not sure what were my first compositions but I think that there were quite a few before Run Of The Mill. And yes the strangers in the night well spotted) was my tribute to Jimi Hendrix because I heard him do it and I just thought it was so cool. He also played it one handed which I have done but it is tricky. See you next year and thanks again for those archive shots.

Regards K.K.

Alex a crazy and hungry fan from Belgium:
Hello again K.K. It's always a real pleasure to surf on the steel mill! I hope you're enjoying a nice summer and that the new record is going well! Yesterday I was watching the 1982 Memphis show on DVD and was as always blown away by the performance!!! Well, here is my question, I'm sure there are more classic concerts that were recorded during the 80's and I hope filmed, So are there plans for the band to release some rare shows on DVD like Memphis 82 or Dallas 86? The Defenders of the Faith of 1984 was incredible as the Mercenaries of Rock tour of 1988!!! It would be so cool to see these shows on DVD, the set lists were really cool with some songs never played since these days as Jawbreaker, Sinner, Ram it down, Heavy Metal, Rock Hard Ride Free and a lot of great songs from these eras!!!

I think I'm not the only one here hoping for these kind of shows to be released on DVD!!! Could you tell us some information about that ?

I wish you all the best until my next question or the next tour lol!!!! And to end this e-mail, let me tell you a big hello from all the Belgian Hungry for the Priest fan!!! We all hope to see you again next year at the GRASPOP METAL MEETING 2008 as you did in 2004!!! See you, and thanks again for defending the faith like the metal god you are!!! \m/ \m/

Hi Alex. I guess my answer is that the concerts that were filmed professionally have been released by us. But as you know there is some other material such as The US Festival, LIVE AID etc. but as far as full length shows are concerned I am not sure what is available other than bootlegs. The main problem is that it used to be the thing with the majority of bands just to film every few years just to document certain milestones in their careers. Of course now it is something that many of us regret, that we did not film every tour for posterity and of course for the fans that could not make it to every tour. I guess that it is a hard lesson learned, but hopefully there is some film out there that we could try to obtain and of course we will let you know if we have any success. Many thanks, see you at Graspop! 

Regards K.K.

Kevin, New York:

My name is Kevin and I’m from upstate new york...Judas Priest is one of my all time favourite bands and I can't tell you how much pleasure I’ve experienced over the years listening to your music.
I have so many questions but I’ll just narrow it down to one for now I suppose. I know that writing and recording involves a lot of rehearsals and tracking and playback and all that...I’ve done it myself but my GOD man...when you guys were listening back to the final mixes of Stained Class album were you guys just falling over each other laughing out loud about how COMPLETELY KICK ASS it sounded? it must have been so great!!

Hi Kevin. Surprisingly enough it was never a case of being confident in the record, in fact I think that sometimes you can be too close to things. Kind of like having trouble seeing the wood for the trees as we say. However the seventies were magical times in respect of everything being fresh and exciting and unexplored musically. We did not have much money or much of anything for that matter except that we were rich in enthusiasm and we liked the feeling of being a force to be reckoned with in the metal world. Little did we know that the record British Steel was just around the corner. The success of BS enabled us to really kick up a gear on the touring front and the rest is history. But for sure I will always look back at the seventies with a happy tear in my eye as I listen to those songs that paved the way for Judas Priest.

Regards K.K.

Alex Lopez, Calexico, California:
Hey K.K. Wanted to ask you if you're planning on putting videos on how to play Priest songs or putting guitar TABS in also?   I know the Priest site has some, but it would be cool if your web site had them also. Its hard to find a good web site with the right tabs for Priest song. Thanks and hope you have a great summer.

Hi Alex. Yes I hope to be posting something for you at some point. It is just about finding the time, but if you have any riffs or chord sequences you need for now I can do my best.

Regards K.K.

Lee, New Jersey:

Dear KK:
My name is Lee, I am from New Jersey. Childhood fan and thanks for the great music. My question is about this gold looking Flying "V"? I have not seen this guitar in your collection at all, and I would love to hear the story of where you bought this guitar and is it gold? or a trick with the lighting? It's a great thing Schenker didn't get this one either.

Hi Lee! Well spotted, the Gold V was the one that I beat Michael to and the one that you will see in photos until around 1981. At a guess the original Finnish would have been candy apple red but the guitar had spent some time in shop windows. This caused a fading of the red and allowed the gold sparkle to come through, trouble was it was very patchy so I decided to have it refinished to its original candy apple red but it did not turn out as good as I had hoped but I got used to it. And maybe i’s better anyway but I guess I’ll never know. Cheers Lee.

Regards K.K.

Caleb from Washington State:
Hi K.K. This message is concerning the "One Shot at Glory" tab that you put up in the Fuel of the Furnace section, there’s a piece in there that I can't quite make out, it has the numbers 12,10, and 9 circled (which I’m assuming is for right handed hammer-ons) and then there’s some numbers that look a little sloppy and can't read them very well. I was just wondering if you can make some clarification on what the circled numbers are for and what the fret numbers are that follow.

Thanks a lot.

Hi Caleb! Very correct, the circled numbers are hammer ons. I do not know why I used circles, could have been that extra couple of beers. If you mean section 5 and you probably do because it is very scruffy it starts E bend down 3x G 6 vib D 14p13  A16 D13 14p13 A 16 D 13 14 16 G 13 14 16 B 13 14 16 E 12 16 14 p 12 slide G 18 B17 E 16 21 21 p16 19 bend up a tone and vib, I hope this is ok for you. Please let me know if I can assist further.

Regards K.K.

Jeremy Morgan:

Hi K.K. and millmen,
I'm Jeremy Morgan, age 22 and diehard Metallion since 14. My first Judas Priest album was Jugulator. It’s kinda humorous, but I got to meet the band on the Demolition tour at the Webster Theatre in CT when I turned 17. I met every member but you K.K.! I thought you were snooty until I saw the down to earth nature of this website. LOL! I apologize man. That show DID completely blow me away. It has a bigger place in my heart than the time I saw Iron Maiden's arena show (Gimme Ed Tour). I wish you guys would play more off Ripper's era of material. Those songs mean a great deal to me. Those songs helped inspire my creativity during my High School years and now I'm a professional starving artist. I eventually was able to do the artwork for Tim's Beyond Fear project. What did you think of that CD? And although you work with greats such as Mark Wilkinson, how would you at least rate my portfolio? Would you know any great, young and heavy bands needing an artist?
Here’s my link http://jerostmayhem.deviantart.com
Keep defending the Faith! And when you tour on Nostradamus, come play North Carolina or Georgia!
Your Fan,
Jeremy

Hi Jeremy! Thanks for checking in at the mill and thanks for being a fan of Metal, the music we all love so much. Nice to see you got the commission with Beyond Fear, please say hi to Tim if you see him before me. Sorry we did not hook up at the gig, knowing me I probably was preoccupied looking for some of your infamous good old American babes. I will let you know if I hear of any bands looking for artwork, but I am not getting around too much at the moment as we are hard at work on the new album. Incidentally Mark has already done the artwork, we will be on tour so I may see you then.

Regards K.K.

Geoff, Essex:

Hi K.K. Can you tell me if there are any more unreleased tracks left in the archives of Priest?

Hi Geoff. Well I guess we can never be certain, with a career spanning over such a long time I would like to think that there is a forgotten little gem somewhere but at the moment there is nothing that comes to mind. If it does we will let you know.

Regards K.K.

Joan, Poland:
Hi K.K.
I know that in 70’s Priest played some gigs with Budgie and I'd like to ask you about them. So, how it was to tour with these guys and what could you say about Burke Shelley? And the last question, what do you think about their latest recording "You're all living in Cuckooland"?

It would be nice if you could answer to my questions. By the way you're a great musician. Keep on rockin'!

Hi Joan, I was a great fan of Budgie from the start so it was a big thrill to do so many shows with them. We became good friends and had many laughs and adventures. Burke is a very talented musician/songwriter. I have not checked out the new album but I certainly will. Please say hi to everyone in Poland for us.

Regards K.K.

Orville, Deutschland, Germany:
Hi K.K. ! I´m a big Judas Priest Fan. I love it how you and Glenn are playing E-guitar. You two are my Idols! Your songs are so heavy and great. The best Metal I have ever heard in my life. Surely I´m only 15 but I’ve heard Metal since I’m 10. But I shouldn´t tell about me. I have a question and hope that you can answer this one. I found out that Judas Priest was founded in 1969 without Rob and Glenn. You wrote some songs till 1973. I only want to know what are the names of these songs and where I could I get them. I will be very happy if you answer my questions. Wish you all the best

Hi Orville. I guess the majority of that material ended up on Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings Of Destiny, although there were other songs that were never recorded but someone may have taped them at a live gig somewhere.

Regards K.K.

Fritz Reinig, Austin, Texas :

Mr. Downing,

First of all, I have loved the remarkable growth that Priest has shown over the years. Be it Point of Entry which was a hook-laden metal gem to Turbo, also a tour de force of well produced hook-friendly tracks, the boundaries have explored beyond which any metal band has ever attempted. With no disrespect to Angel of Retribution as a whole, it seemed that many of the songs were heavy to the point of excess whereas tracks like Worth Fighting For relied on some of the subtleties and shades that has made Priest the premier metal band. Given that the band has always embraced new innovations in technology, can we expect that the boundaries will be further pushed with the next project without the "let's make it even heavier" mindset?

Hi Fritz, Thank you for your comments. I can only say that I think that Priest after all this time is still evolving and we certainly always like to think that we can bring something fresh to the table. We are very much enjoying working on our new album Nostradamus and I hope that it contains all of the ingredients that you like best in the band.

Regards K.K.

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