JUDAS PRIEST Guitarist RICHIE FAULKNER Talks Recovery Following On-Stage Aortic Dissection - "I Was Literally, Possibly Saved By Metal"

After performing at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 26th, 2021 Judas Priest issued a statement announcing that they would have to postpone the rest of their US tour, as guitarist Richie Faulkner was having "major medical heart condition issues" that landed him in the hospital.

Faulkner recently spoke with Guitar World about the incident and discussed his recovery and return to fighting form. An excerpt from the chat is available below.

Faulkner: "I needed to finish the song ('Painkiller'), but I had the presence of mind to come back from the edge of the stage just in case I passed out from fatigue. Luckily, Metallica was headlining that night or we would have played a full set and I probably would have dropped dead on stage.” 

Guitar World: Considering your aorta split onstage and you were bleeding out, it’s amazing you were able to get to the hospital in time.

Faulkner: "One question I had for the doctors was how I was able to go on for so long, because, yeah, once these things rupture you’ve usually got minutes and you’re gone. They think that maybe my adrenaline was so high because we were playing and that my heart was pumping hard enough and fast enough to keep me going long enough to get pumped up with more adrenaline and keep me going to the hospital. So I can literally say the power of heavy metal kept me alive long enough to save my life. I was literally, possibly saved by metal."

Read the complete interview here.