Rob Halford has revealed that Judas Priest’s highly anticipated forthcoming album will likely arrive in 2024, after previously hinting at a 2023 release.
The singer discussed the near-finished album in a new interview with Metal Express Radio. The instrumental tracks have been recorded, and are now just awaiting the Metal God’s vocals.
“As I’ve been saying in these recent Zooms, they’re all waiting for me, because all the music is done,” remarked Halford. “I’ve got the album here in front of me, on my laptop, and it sounds fucking amazing, which you expect every musician to say. But I’ve really gotta do my work now, and make sure that what I do relates to the great work that the guys have done.”
He continued: “So, it’s coming together. It’ll be ready when it’s ready. But we’re trying to stick on a timeline. We’re hoping to do this Ozzy [Osbourne] tour [kicking off this May in Europe]. Please, Ozzy, be well enough; I think he will be. Once we do the Ozzy tour, then we’re gonna really get into the back end of finishing the record and then probably being ready to release that. I’m saying now — I did say ’23 — it looks like it’s ’24, which isn’t that far away.”
The follow-up to 2018’s highly acclaimed Firepower has again seen touring guitarist Andy Sneap handling production duties. An awkward moment occurred last January when Sneap was dropped from Priest’s touring lineup only to be reinstated days later. Halford personally took the blame for the runaround, and both parties seem to have moved on, continuing work in the studio and preparing for the aforementioned European tour with Ozzy Osbourne in May.
Watch the interview with Halford below.