As they are about to embark on their Epitaph farewell tour, Judas Priest unveiled a new “band picture,” the first the feature new guitarist Richie Faulkner (Lauren Harris, Dirty Deeds). At first glance, the picture (which can be seen off to the side) made us think about two things:
- Though Faulkner is only 31 years old, and age obviously hasn’t stopped the mighty metal gods from kicking ass these past few years, the age difference between Priest and their new member really sticks out in the new poster.
- Couldn’t they have taken a picture with all of the band members in the same room instead of photoshopping them into individual portraits? This looks a little like a high school yearbook.
In the end, we guess the shock of K.K. Downing’s departure just still hasn’t really worn off. Nothing against Faulkner. We’re sure that he will kick ass on the road with Priest, otherwise guitarist Glenn Tipton wouldn’t have highly recommended him to the band. Still, Downing’s absence is an additional bummer to the already sad fact that this world tour will ultimately be Priest’s last.
The band’s first show with Faulkner, and the beginning of the Epitaph tour, will be on June 7 in Tilburg, Holland. So we’ll have to wait until then to see Priest in action with their new guitarist (via YouTube, of course).
