It’s been quite the tumultuous relationship between former guitarist K.K. Downing and Judas Priest since he left the band in 2011. Between negative comments about Glenn Tipton, Richie Faulkner, and the band, Downing has alienated himself from the current band members. Now, it appears some of that animosity has cooled. Judas Priest received the honor of going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame through the Musical Excellence Award. That means at the ceremony in Los Angeles on November 5th, 2022, Judas Priest will be inducted and have a performance scheduled.

The question all along was whether or not Downing would perform with the band. Now it appears he will according to new comments he made. When speaking to Ultimate Classic Rock, he confirmed that he would be playing with the band.

It’s what I’ve done so many times, It’s almost like cracking a beer, let alone riding a bike. It’s embedded in me. It’s what I do. So it’ll be quite something to look forward to, just to get up there and crank the amps up and just do it once again, for that short moment in time.

K.K. Downing

He was a member of the band from 1969 up until 2011 when he left the band suddenly before their Epitaph World Tour. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, who continues to shred for the band to this day. Downing started a new band, KK’s Priest, which has former Priest vocalist Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens as the singer. No matter what he’s said in recent times, Downing is still a foundational member of Judas Priest and a guitar icon in the heavy metal world.

Downing had more to say about the upcoming performance.

It’ll go by in a flash, won’t it? I think we’ve probably got eight or nine minutes. I’m not even going to be able to break a sweat. The main thing is to represent the attitude and hopefully the legend of what Judas Priest is and has become and what it means to everybody who’s been on that very long journey through the decades with the band. And hopefully, it will just kind of remind people and bring back some cherished memories of the heavy metal parking lots all around the world.

K.K. Downing

He also confirmed that former drummer Les Binks would play with the band during the induction. Binks was in Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979, playing on two of their most classic albums, Stained Class and Killing Machine/Hell Bent For Leather.

Downing, finally had this to say about the turmoil and controversy.

Obviously a lot of things have happened and stuff, but we’re kind of all old people, you know? A lot of water’s gone under the bridge, a lot of miles have been traveled, a lot of notes have been played. The thing is we can all kind of be there, have a few beers together, a glass of wine and perform and enjoy ourselves. At the end of the day, it really is an accolade, and I think, if everybody were to be honest with themselves, they would all like to have that accolade.

K.K. Downing

It sure sounds like some of the problems of the past might be water under the bridge, but we’ll have to see when Judas Priest performs on November 5th. The real controversy is that other members of Judas Priest that have major contributions to the band like Richie Faulkner and Ripper Owens will not go into the Hall of Fame.

For more on Metal, make sure to check out That Hashtag Show.

Keep Reading:

Judas Priest-A-Thon: What’s Their Best Album?