As promised, Judas Priest have commenced writing sessions for an upcoming studio album.

On Monday (Feb. 3), guitarist Richie Faulkner shared a photo of himself working in the studio with Priest frontman Rob Halford and fellow guitarist Glenn Tipton. Alongside the image, Faulkner indicated the veteran English rockers were "forging the steel" for the follow-up to 2018's Firepower.

See the snapshot down toward the bottom of this post. The meeting of the three musicians comes after longtime shredder Tipton stepped away from Priest's live performances following a diagnosis with Parkinson's disease. However, the guitarist later confirmed he'd still contribute to the group.

"Giving birth to new metal babies," Faulkner revealed this week via Twitter. He noted the pic represented Judas Priest's "writing sessions 2020 with grand master Tipton and the Mg RHRF DOTF."  (The musician often ends his tweets with the acronym for "Rock Hard Ride Free" from 1984's Defenders of the Faith.)

Faulkner joined Judas Priest in 2011, replacing guitarist K.K. Downing. Since Tipton's leave from touring, Andy Sneap assumed that stage position as a live guitarist. (Sneap, a seasoned musician in his own right, co-produced Priest's Firepower and has performed with the groups Hell and Sabbat.)

Listeners keeping tabs on Judas Priest activities were aware that writing sessions would begin around this time. Late last year, Halford filled fans in on the compositional timeline while doubting the LP would be released in 2020.

Last month, Judas Priest were again excluded from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when the 2020 class of inductees was announced. Faulkner responded by saying the Rock Hall "holds no credibility for me and never has."

See Judas Priest in the 66 Best Metal Songs of the Decade: 2010 - 2019

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