Heavy Metal icons Judas Priest kick off their highly anticipated “Firepower 2019” tour with special guest Uriah Heep at Hard Rock Event Center on Friday, May 3! We caught up with guitarist Glenn Tipton to discuss inspiration, Firepower, production, and more.

Judas Priest has been ranked many times as the greatest metal band of all time. Are there any genres aside from metal that frequently inspire the band and influence the music?

I’ve always been inspired by classical music.

As a band that has conquered both markets, what would you say are the biggest differences between making music for the UK and for America?

We don’t tailor our songs to any market– there’s a danger of losing our way if we aim at different markets so we just write from the heart and, fortunately, our music is accepted in many countries.

What is the process behind creating a set list? Does it differ city to city?

Our set list is comprised of new songs from our latest album mixed with some of the old favorites.

Judas Priest shows are a display of authentic heavy metal music. In what ways have your audiences evolved over the years?

The audiences don’t really evolve, it’s the the band that evolves. We always try to without endangering the character of Judas Priest heavy metal!

Your most recent album, Firepower, has just recently turned 1 year old. How does the Firepower album feel different in comparison to its predecessors?

We’ve had an amazing reaction to this album but I can’t say it feels any different. We just write as always, pooling the ideas until the room lights up and we know we are on to something!

Has the creative process of writing and producing an album changed at all since the first album?

No, we usually begin by working on our ideas separately. When we have enough ideas we get together and that’s when the album starts to take shape.

How did the decision to use two producers for “Firepower” come into play?

We just felt that a team production would work on Firepower. The combination of Andy Sneap, Tom Allom and Mike Exeter couldn’t have been better.

What is currently the band’s favorite song to perform?

We all have different favorites. I personally still get a great buzz from ‘Painkiller’.

What can fans expect from your show?

FIREPOWER!

Click here to get tickets for Judas Priest at Hard Rock Event Center.