Absence really must make the heart grow fonder. After leaving Judas Priest amid deteriorating relationships, complaints about performance quality and unhappiness with management, K.K. Downing is singing a different tune as the band's 50th anniversary approaches.
The group's former guitarist, who angrily left Judas Priest in 2011, now says he's open to put his differences aside for a 50th anniversary jam with his former band mates. "I'm certainly open to any conversations, as I always say to those guys," Downing says. "I've said it pretty openly: What's happened has happened. Everybody in the band knew why I left the band, quit the band. Everybody in the band knew I had good reason to quit the band, because nobody, nobody quits a lifetime of invested time and energy into something and walks away from it that easily."
But in a recent interview with Riff magazine, bassist Ian Hill said the band is happy with Richie Faulkner, who's been with Judas Priest since Downing walked away. "He's done an absolutely tremendous job," Hill said. "There's no plans to have Ken back, really."
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