JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner recently reflected on his long journey with the legendary metal band in a new interview with Teresa Robinson of New Mexico Entertainment. What was meant to be a brief chapter in PRIEST’s history has now become a 15-year run — one that continues to evolve with no signs of slowing down.
When asked what’s next for the band following their recent North American tour with ALICE COOPER, Faulkner hinted that there’s still plenty brewing behind the scenes.
“That’s a good question. We’ve always got something bubbling under the surface going on, and we always try and think about what’s coming up after this,” he responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “There’s a few things I’m not sure if I can say [what they are] or not, but we’ve talked about whether we are gonna do album number 20. Is that gonna happen or not? Or, have got any ideas for that sort of stuff? We’ve done a lot of touring over the last couple of years, so maybe it’s time to look at the studio stuff and see where we go from there.”
Faulkner went on to recall how his time with PRIEST began — and how far it’s come since then: “One thing I do know is that I joined [JUDAS PRIEST] on [what was supposed to be] the [band’s] farewell tour and I’m still here 15 years later, so it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t stop. That I do know. I know it’s usually album, tour, album, tour, album, tour — that seems to be the pattern — so, historically, if that tells you anything, there’s usually another album somewhere. But we’ll see.”
Reflecting on his personal legacy, Faulkner took a humble approach, emphasizing gratitude over glory.
“That’s a very good question. I think all you can do is your best,” he said. “And I think the people decide what your legacy is… I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I’m touring and writing music with JUDAS PRIEST, one of the biggest heavy metal bands, most influential heavy metal bands in the world. So, fortunately, people are listening to stuff that I’m doing and the band are doing in 2025. That’s legacy enough — just being a part of that legacy is enough for me.”
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