ROB HALFORD: 'To Get Ahead In Rock 'N' Roll, You've Got To Do Something That Somebody Else Hasn't Done Before'

In a brand new interview with Rock Cellar Magazine, JUDAS PRIEST members Rob Halford (vocals) and Richie Faulkner (guitar) were asked about the current state of metal and whether the new bands are evolving the medium or they are just ripping off pioneering groups like PRIEST.

"I wouldn't call it ripping it off," Richie replied. "I'd call it tipping the hat to bands like PRIEST or BLACK SABBATH. And the good thing about today is the bands at the forefront of the metal movement are doing it unashamedly. They don't say we're hiding our roots. They're putting their roots out there for everyone to hear. And it's a great testament to these guys."

Added Halford: "In today's metal world, you hear the expression 'cookie cutter,' which I think is a bit insulting, because in the end, every band is trying to do the best that they can. And sometimes, depending on the genre of metal, you do bump into each other. But it is about finding your originality.

"Most people understand that to get ahead in rock 'n' roll, you've got to do something that somebody else hasn't done before. That's very, very difficult.

"You'll get people like METALLICA acknowledging PRIEST, KORN, bands that have really done well in their own right. That's great because we talk about passing the flame to one another.

"The overall state and condition of metal is phenomenal. It started with two bands, PRIEST and SABBATH, and now look at it. Remarkable."

JUDAS PRIEST's 17th studio album, "Redeemer Of Souls", sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's 2008 double-disc concept album, "Nostradamus", shifted 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at No. 11.

JUDAS PRIEST's most successful album to date is 1982's "Screaming For Vengeance", which spent 53 weeks on the Billboard charts, receiving gold RIAA sales certification on October 29, 1982, platinum on April 18, 1983 and double platinum October 16, 2001. The album included the band's only U.S. top 100 hit single, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'".