Judas Priest’s 50 Heavy Metal Years tour will be continuing next March, starting in Illinois on the 4th. However, there’s been some changes to the line-up, with Andy Sneap no longer on guitar, as the band announced yesterday they were continuing on as a four-piece. Sneap helped to co-produce the group’s latest Firepower album, and has been helping them out on live tours since 2018, when Glenn Tipton revealed he had Parkinson’s disease. Tipton had been part of the group since 1974.
The band’s statement said that “We are chomping at the British Steel bit to return to World touring….celebrating 50 Years of Judas Priest as an even more powerful, relentless four piece Heavy Metal band“. It seems the split is amicable, with them following this up by wishing a “Big thanks to Andy for all you’ve done” and noting that he would continue “ to be in the production team for our new album“. On the bright side, Tipton is expected back on a few occasions, “with Glenn coming out on stage with us here and there as before“.
Hello Maniacs!
We are chomping at the British Steel bit to return to World touring….celebrating 50 Years of Judas Priest as an even more powerful, relentless four piece Heavy Metal band – with Glenn coming out on stage with us here and there as before…..!!
1/2 pic.twitter.com/CVNA7pIg3n
— Judas Priest (@judaspriest) January 11, 2022
Big thanks to Andy for all you’ve done and continuing to be in the production team for our new album…. See you all soon headbangers! 2/2 — Judas Priest (@judaspriest) January 11, 2022
Also, guitarist Richie Faulkner will be returning with the group, after suffering an acute cardiac aortic dissection last year during a performance at Kentucky’s Louder Than Life festival. After a ten-hour surgery, Faulkner seems to be back in good shape, saying at the time that he was “feeling very strong and positive“, and that he’d “be back on stage in no time! My surgeons are very pleased with my progress and have all reserved front row tickets for the next Priest show haha”.
Apparently, some fans were hoping Sneap would be replaced by previous Judas Priest member K.K. Downing, who left back in 2011 after forty years with the group. However, Downing has said last year that, after Tipton’s Parkinson’s diagnosis was made public, he expected to get a call from the band, but received nothing. It seems that, in his words, “the door is closed” now.
Sneap was of course disappointed by the news himself. He was apparently told by a phone call last week, and says that he found it “incredibly disappointing after this amount of time“, but that he respects it, “as they obviously have a vision how they want this to play out. This always was a temporary situation … I’ll always help the band any way I can, and that applies going forward also”.
If you’re interested in seeing Judas Priest play in America and Europe later this year, you can look into getting tickets here. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait over a year before they come to the UK, with them supporting Ozzy Osbourne in his No More Tours 2 tour in May 2023.
