Former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing announced a return to music after a one-off show he played in November.

He’s been largely inactive since quitting Priest in 2011, though he’s talked about his desire to return to the band in recent years – a proposal that was rejected by his former bandmates.

After a guest spot at a U.K. festival last August, Downing appeared onstage with Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and ex-Priest members Tim “Ripper” Owens and Les Binks at his Steel Mill venue in Wolverhampton, which led to the announcement of his return to action.

“After what was meant to be a one-off live performance in November, K.K. Downing has been in the studio, working on the next chapter of his career,” a statement read. “After receiving offers from multiple labels and management companies, Downing met with Paul Woolnough, CEO of Explorer1 Music Group and the creator of its innovative business model, and they agreed to partner. … K.K. Downing’s genre-defining guitar style helped establish Judas Priest‘s iconic sound and helped propel them to one of the top heavy metal bands of all time, earning numerous accolades, including a Grammy in 2010 for Best Metal Performance, a total of five Grammy nominations and multi-platinum and gold releases.”

“The reason I chose Explorer1 to manage my future over many other bona fide companies is their extensive roster of so many familiar and qualified experts and veterans of the industry that is surely incomparable," Downing said. "Also, their exciting and innovative business model is something that I truly believe will become the future industry standard, making Explorer1 leaders, not followers, in the music and entertainment industry.”

Further details of Downing’s plans will be announced soon.

 

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