Judas Priest's 18th studio album,
FIREPOWER began under inauspicious circumstances. First, guitarist
Glenn Tipton, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a decade ago, found it necessary to retire from the road; second, they lost out to
Bon Jovi for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and finally, former drummer
Dave Holland passed on before this set's issue. But the sound of
FIREPOWER remains unbowed. Its undiminished power and assaultive mayhem are somewhat tempered in its slower moments by slowly unfurling rage, loss, and menace. It was begun in 2016 by
Rob Halford,
Tipton, and new guitarist
Richie Faulkner. They chose two veteran producers to bring it home:
Tom Allom, who helmed every
JP album between 1979's
Unleashed in the East (Live in Japan) and 1988's
Ram It Down, and
Andy Sneap, master producer/engineer of modern metal. He began his career in 1994 and has worked with everyone from
Accept and
Exodus to
Megadeth,
Masterplan, and
Testament. He is also a formidable guitarist who is replacing
Tipton on the road.