Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton retired from touring with the band in 2018 after revealing that he had Parkinson's disease. Andy Sneap has since stepped in for Tipton live, though Tipton still contributed to Judas Priest's latest record Invincible Shield and still ocasionally joins the band on stage.
Now in an interview with Total Guitar, Tipton revealed he "played what he could" on Invincible Shield and credits Richie Faulkner for helping him out. Tipton also expressed defiance in the face of Parkinson's, simply saying he's not being beat by the disease.
"I played what I could and am very proud of the whole album. Richie helped a lot. I think his strongest attribute is his ability to adapt to different styles whilst maintaining his own very strong character. Priest require a guitarist who can shift from out-and-out metal to more melodic tracks."
Tipton continued: "Obviously the drawback for me now is Parkinson's, and I've had to pass a lot of work onto his shoulders. I keep pushing myself because I believe in 'no surrender'. This disease won't beat me, and I will continue writing and playing for as long as I can."
Faulkner also commented on the Invincible Shield sessions, adding that he'd play leads whenever Tipton wasn't felling up to it. "We didn't want him to worry," he said. "He brought songs to the table like 'Sons of Thunder' which is a classic three-minute track in the style of 'Hell Bent For Leather'. Glenn is the master of that stuff."
As for Invincible Shield, it was recently voted the best album of March 2024 by our readers. So clearly Tipton's still got it… as anyone with ears and a good taste in metal could tell you.
