Earlier this year, Judas Priest unleashed Firepower, their 18th studio album, which has received high praise from fans and critics alike. When Glenn Tipton went public with the news about his struggles with Parkinson's Disease and relinquished his live role with the group, fans speculated that perhaps this would be the last Priest album. Bassist Ian Hill says that Firepower is likely not their swansong.

Speaking with Musik Universe, Hill addressed Tipton's abilities, stating (transcribed by Louder Sound), “Glenn can play for a while, even during a bad day. It's just that he can’t play for a whole show for now – and that could change if there are some interventions that can help it." Because of this, he stressed "there is no reason to stop writing new songs" and that Tipton "is quite capable of composing riffs and playing for a while to record an album, so we don’t expect Firepower to be the last album."

Hill also discussed the potential for another live release, which would be Priest's first since issuing Battle Cry in 2016. The bassist mentioned that most of their summer 2018 European performances were filmed and that their sound engineer records most of the shows.

There's still points of uncertainty for Judas Priest as they look to what lies beyond the Firepower tour cycle. Currently, Firepower co-producer Andy Sneap is serving as Tipton's replacement onstage and will remain onboard for the tours promoting the new record, but his long-term status is unknown as Rob Halford recently admitted the band does not know what the plans are regarding the guitar slot after the world tour is over.

Judas Priest just kicked off their co-headlining tour with Deep Purple and the trek will run through Sept. 30 and you can see a list of stops here.

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