K.K. Downing on wanting to reunite with Judas Priest, “When it’s a no, it’s a no.”

K.K. Downing on wanting to reunite with Judas Priest, “When it’s a no, it’s a no.”

Former Judas Priest and current KK’s Priest guitarist K.K. Downing was recently interviewed by Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon for Canada’s The Metal Voice.

Downing left Judas Priest back in 2011 but expressed an interest in rejoining the band once his former bandmate / guitarist Glenn Tipton announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and would be unable to tour with the band to support the album Firepower (2018). Judas Priest were not open to having Downing step in and elected to have producer Andy Sneap replace Tipton on guitar during the Firepower Tour.

Since then, Downing has formed the group KK’s Priest which features how former Judas Priest bandmate Tim “Ripper” Owens on lead vocals as well as Tony Newton on bass, A.J. Mills on guitar and Sean Elg on drums. KK’s Priest‘s will be releasing their debut album Sermons of The Sinner via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records on August 20, 2021. 

Downing was asked by The Metal Voice whether he had lost interest in wanting to reunite with Judas Priest to which he replied (as provided by The Metal Voice with slight edits): “Wild horses, nothing could drag me. That’s it you know. When it’s a no, it’s a no. You can only hear it so many times, then you have to go, ‘That’s it’ but now this [KK’s Priest] has happened. I am already putting down material for the next record. Did I feel a bit insecure? Could I do it? And when I found out I could [do an album], it was really enjoyable. I don’t want this to be the last thing I ever do.”

You can listen to the interview with K.K. Downing with The Metal Voice below: