NEW NOISE
ELEGANT WEAPONS
Members of Judas Priest, Rainbow and Pantera unite to create triumphant, trad-inspired modern metal
WORDS: DAVE EVERLEY
WHEN GUITARIST RICHIE
Faulkner joined Judas Priest in 2011, his new bandmate Glenn Tipton had a warning for him. “He said, ‘You know, we’re not a band with 20 years left in us,’” says Richie. “He was very upfront about it. So it was always in my mind that I’d have to venture out on my own, so to speak.”
More than a decade later, Richie has finally made that leap with Elegant Weapons. Their propulsive debut album, Horns For A Halo – featuring an all-star line-up of the guitarist plus Priest drummer Scott Travis, Pantera bassist Rex Brown and Rainbow singer Ronnie Romero – combines the heavy metal classicism of Richie’s day job with a modern hard rock edge.
“It’s not that I wanted to do this band because it’s stuff I couldn’t do with Priest, but it’s an outlet to do something slightly different,” he says, speaking to Hammer via Zoom from Nashville, where he’s lived for the past few years. “I played some of the stuff for Rob [Halford] when I was putting it together, and he said it was great. It’s good to have that guidance.”