Classic Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing was recently asked by The Metal Voice whether he regrets leaving the band back in 2011, to which he replied (via Blabbermouth):

[metalwani_content_ad]

“No, because it had kind of run its course as it was. Myself and Glenn, even though we were very much a partnership, we would do things differently on stage.

“Glenn was a bit more rock ‘n’ roll, have some beers, and I was there, totally attentive and wanting perfection, every note, every beat. So we kind of drifted apart a little bit that way.

“Not to say who’s right and who’s wrong – we’re supposed to all get on there and enjoy what we were doing – but I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I felt I should, really.

“I like to give 100%, because I think that’s what the fans travel for, pay for and expect. It just didn’t suit me, so a change had to happen, and that was it, really.”

Asked about his relationship with Glenn Tipton, KK replied:

“There always was a great amount of mutual respect for each other – and still is, certainly from my part. There’s no doubt about that. We would spend more time together, myself and Glenn, than we did with any girlfriends or wives anything.

[metalwani_content_ad]

“We were very productive, very prolific and I think we were the driving force in a lot of ways because we had to create the songs to be sung. It was an awful amount of work and time spent together.

“Was there some competitive rivalry? Not really on my behalf. I always felt like I was fairly easygoing because the most important thing to me was the band, the name Judas Priest.

“Myself and Glenn, we went through decades through thick and thin, and it was a great relationship but idiosyncrasies creep in, don’t they? Just like any old married couple. [Laughs].

“At some point, it boils over a little bit and something has to give, and that’s it, really. People do things how they like to do them in certain ways. It’s tough in any relationship – you have to really work at it, and I felt that I did.”