In a new interview with RadioactiveMike Zhost of 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program “Hardwired in the Empire”, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked when he discovered METALLICis the music. He replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think it was (in) my early teens. When I started listening to heavier music, stuff like (JUDAS PRIEST‘s) ‘Pain killer’; I was introduced to ‘Pain killer’ register. I don’t remember if it was ‘Puppeteer’ Or ‘…And justice for all’. I just remember those syncopated, heavy stuff METALLIC. And, of course, the flying V… (METALLIC leader) James Hetfield is one of my top five guitarists. For many people they are the lead guitarists, but one of mine is Hetfield, his way of creating and playing riffs. And, of course, at the beginning, he was playing this white V. And, yeah, (he was) just a huge influence. It is, for me, the integrity of METALLIC. He is the leader, the integrity, the spokesperson. And I’m huge METALLIC fan.”
He continued, “Obviously the new (METALLIC) disk was out. I haven’t heard it all yet. But I’m glad to hear it. I heard some of the singles they released. And they’re doing their thing now where they put out a video for each song and really create a connection with each one. So, yeah, they’ve always been a band that goes against the grain, and I admired them for that. But I like music. I have always been a METALLIC fan.”
When RadioactiveMike Z noted that Hetfieldthe downpicking playing technique is legendary, Faulkner All right. “Yeah, I could never do that” Richie said. “I’m always looking for ways around it and making up excuses why I couldn’t. And I don’t really have an excuse, except that I’m a lazy boy. So I can’t do this downpicking. But he’s a master at it, and it definitely creates a sound for them.”
Faulkner joined JUDAS PRIEST in 2011 replacing the band’s founding guitarist KK Downing.
In September 2021, Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during PRIESTthe performance of stronger than life festival, a short distance from the Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. It took the hospital’s cardiothoracic surgery team, led by Dr. Siddharth Pahwa and also including Drs. Brian Ganzel And Mark slaughterabout 10 hours to complete the surgery, an aortic valve replacement and ascending aorta with hemiarch replacement.
After stronger than life, JUDAS PRIEST postponed the rest of the US dates of his 50th anniversary tour, dubbed “50 years of heavy metal”. The shows have been postponed to March and April 2022.
last september, Faulkner revealed he underwent a second heart operation in early August 2022 to repair “a hole in the repair”.
As stated earlier, Faulkner will sign copies of ELEGANT WEAPONS‘ first album, “Cors for a Halo”on Saturday, May 27 at 5:00 p.m. at Grimey’s in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.
For more information, visit Grimeys.com.
“Cors for a Halo” will be released on May 26 via Nuclear explosion. The LP was recorded with the singer Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW, GMS), bass player Brown Rex (PANTHER, DOWN) and drummer Scott Travis (JUDAS PRIEST) and was directed by the famous British producer Andy Snapewho has worked with JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, EXODUS And MEGADETHamong many others.
ELEGANT WEAPONSThe current touring lineup of consists of Faulkner, Romero, Dave Rimmer (URIAH HEEP) on the bass and Christopher Williams (ACCEPT) to the battery.