[Eternal Betrayer] Friday, June 24, 2011 11:35:14 AM
"Believe it, or believe it not!": The latest comments from the band - Metal Hammer, July 2011:
(on KK's announcement)
IAN -"Disagreements between members of the band? That never happened before with us - ha! To Be honest, when you're in a band as long as we've been this sort of thing always happens. In the past, though, we've always got over such issues."
ROB -"We had no clue beforehand that KK felt this way. I recall exactly how I felt when he broke the news. It was as if the floor had opened & swallowed me. My mind was going off like a box of fireworks."
IAN -"We'd all agreed this was the way it should be (the last tour). But (it was) his voice that was loudest. I wouldn't say he was behind the plan, but he seemed keener than the rest of us."
GLENN - "I think part of the problem was that he'd had a few injury problems, with his wrist in particular. But it was still something that none of us expected."
ROB - "None of us understood why he was doing this. We were all stunned. I remember lying awake that night, wondering what had happened, why things were going so wrong. But I think Glenn, Ian & I all felt that it would blow over, KK would change his mind & we'd get back on track."
IAN - "That's the reason we never announced this in the first place. We all went round to see him, all phoned him & did our best to persuade him to come back."
GLENN - "We wanted to give him as much time as we could. In the end we came close to messing everything up, because we gave him too much time. There was never the slightest indication from KK that he might come back, but we held on to the notion that he must return. It couldn't all end like this."
ROB - "My initial reaction was that it was over for Priest. It surely was the end, as we couldn't go on without KK. But then it dawned on me that this band is a lot bigger than any one member; we had to carry on."
GLENN -"We had a meeting & a choice to make. Either we stopped Judas Priest right now, or we looked for a new guitarist. Thankfully, all of us agreed that we owed it to ourselves & the fans to carry on."
(& on KK returning)
IAN -"He's not coming back. I've talked to him a lot recently & I know he has no interest in doing anything in music again. This won't come up. It's over."
GLENN -"The door will never be shut on him. If KK says he's up for a reunion, then we'll never dismiss it."
ROB - "I would welcome him with open arms. I know it would be difficult for Richie, but... when I returned [in 2003], Ripper graciously handed me the microphone & bowed out."
