Industry musical records shock! priest shakes the London world as after life mark grows beyond imagination just after the sad announcement of huddles around a gone legend” he didn’t stop making the believe of he may return back to life once more with a melodious fire burn hit” the midnight was full of sensitive message for ongoing process… Play sounds👇👇👇
JUDAS PRIEST welcomed guitarist Glenn Tipton back on stage during their show at The O2 in London on Friday night (July 25). Tipton joined the band for the final song of the night, “Living After Midnight”, with fan-recorded footage capturing the moment. Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease over a decade ago—though symptoms began even earlier—and in early 2018, he announced he would no longer tour with the band to support the “Firepower” album. In his place, producer Andy Sneap, who worked on both “Firepower” and “Invincible Shield”, stepped in. Sneap is also known for his role in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and thrash band SABBAT.
In April 2024, Tipton spoke to Total Guitar magazine about his contributions to PRIEST‘s latest album, “Invincible Shield”. He said: “I played what I could and am very proud of the whole album. Richie [Faulkner, fellow PRIEST guitarist] helped a lot. I think his strongest attribute is his ability to adapt to different styles whilst maintaining his own very strong character. PRIEST require a guitarist who can shift from out-and-out metal to more melodic tracks.”
Glenn continued: “Obviously the drawback for me now is Parkinson’s, and I’ve had to pass a lot of work onto his shoulders. I keep pushing myself because I believe in ‘no surrender’. This disease won’t beat me, and I will continue writing and playing for as long as I can.”
Faulkner also spoke to Total Guitar about “Invincible Shield” and how it was affected by Tipton‘s illness. He said: “With Glenn‘s situation, he wasn’t playing as much lead as before. But that’s okay, we didn’t want that to impede the process. If Glenn was having a good day, he’d play the part. If he couldn’t, I’d do it.
“We didn’t want him to worry,” Faulkner explained. “He brought songs to the table like ‘Sons Of Thunder’ which is a classic three-minute track in the style of ‘Hell Bent For Leather’. Glenn is the master of that stuff. He was as involved as he could be and it was important for us to involve him.”
In a separate interview with Bryan Reesman of The Aquarian, Faulkner spoke about Tipton‘s contributions to “Invincible Shield”. Asked how many ideas Glenn worked on and how Richie collaborated with him on all the guitar parts, Faulkner said: “We all go away separately after a tour and put down riff ideas and song ideas and melody ideas. He was the same, really, so when we get in a room together — me, Glenn and Rob [Halford, vocals] — we get those ideas out. We put those ideas on the table, we play them back for each other. Glenn did the same. He had a few more ideas that were more developed — ‘Sons Of Thunder’, ‘Escape From Reality’, ‘Vicious Circle’, stuff like that — so we worked on those. It was no different in that regard. He was able to sit in a studio [to] take time and play the ideas that he was putting forward. And when he had an idea and we were together, if he couldn’t play it that day, then he would translate it through me and we’d hash it out.
Faulkner said they didn’t want Glenn Tipton to feel stressed. “He contributed songs like ‘Sons Of Thunder,’ which is a perfect example of the classic, punchy three-minute style he’s known for — similar to ‘Hell Bent For Leather.’ Glenn truly excels at that kind of songwriting,” Faulkner explained. “He stayed as involved as he could, and making sure he was part of the process really mattered to us.”
In a separate interview with Bryan Reesman of The Aquarian, Faulkner discussed Tipton’s input on Invincible Shield. When asked how much Glenn contributed and how they collaborated on the guitar work, Faulkner explained that after touring, everyone — including Glenn — worked on riffs, melodies, and song ideas on their own. “Then we’d get together — Glenn, Rob [Halford], and I — and share everything we’d come up with,” Faulkner said. “Glenn had a few more fully formed ideas like ‘Sons Of Thunder,’ ‘Escape From Reality,’ and ‘Vicious Circle,’ and we developed those together. It was just like before. Glenn could take his time in the studio to play and develop ideas. And if there were days he couldn’t play, he’d communicate them to me and we’d work them out together.”
Asked where Glenn‘s soloing pops up on “Invincible Shield”, Richie said: “Glenn‘s influence is more than just the solos. There are solos on ‘Sons Of Thunder’ and ‘Vicious Circle’, and it goes beyond that. As we said before, the little twists and turns musically… and the vibe. When you play songs and solos by both K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton on an intimate level for 13 years, I don’t think you can help but have that become part of your DNA, as well, so I think you can hear stuff from Glenn in my playing as well as what I’ve learned from him in the last 13 years. On something like ‘Panic Attack’, there are some sweep picking stuff that was never part of my repertoire. Playing songs like ‘Painkiller’ on an intimate level becomes part of your repertoire, so it shows up on the record. So apart from the songwriting ideas he had, the songs he had, some of the solos he had, it’s in my playing as well. He’s infiltrated my DNA in that sense — along with Ken [K.K.], of course, and along with Zakk [Wylde] and Michael Schenker and people like that. I think [Glenn‘s] influence can’t be overstated either.”
In his first interview since revealing his condition in early 2018, Glenn, who turned 77 last October, told Guitar World magazine about his diagnosis: “It was upsetting, but I wasn’t really shocked because I sort of thought it was Parkinson’s. I probably hoped it wasn’t but the doctor said it was.”
Regarding being told by the doctor that he had likely already had the disease for between 10 and 15 years, Glenn said: “Hearing that I already had Parkinson’s for a long time made me even more determined to fight. I could still play, so I just continued recording and touring.”
Around a month before JUDAS PRIEST‘s “Firepower” tour was set to begin, Glenn Tipton came to the conclusion that he couldn’t consistently deliver the high-energy, precise performances the band was known for. Speaking to Guitar World, he said, “It just became too much for me—with the medications, the time zone changes, and everything else. I knew it was time to step back from touring. I never want to do anything that would diminish what JUDAS PRIEST stands for. The band means too much to me.”
“Invincible Shield”, their latest album, was released in March 2024 through Sony Music.
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