I contacted Pat Lachman today, former guitarist of Halford, as he's always been very cool about responding to my emails within hours. In a short, but sweet, interview, here's what he has to say about the reunion of Judas Priest and Halford, which was announced on Friday.
Thank you, Pat, for you candid comments and refreshing honesty.
Me: I was just wondering if you had any comments about Rob's return to Priest. Was this something you expected eventually?
Pat:I realized very early on that a reunion would happen, so it was always in the back of my mind.
Me: How does it make you feel?
Pat:To be honest, I'm happy. I think it's the best thing that could have happened to Rob at this point in his career. I got involved with that band because I was a Priest fan.
Me: Did the rumors have any effect on the band when you were playing with him?
Pat:Not on stage! Off stage however, it always felt like it had an expiration date on it, we just didn't know when it was. The facts were always kept from us. Management made us feel expendable and replaceable and tried to keep some kind of distance between Rob and the band. Just look at the constant line-up changes. I assume all that was due to the fact that a reunion was in the planning stage from the beginning. The quote from CNN was "Rob and the other Judas Priest members are so happy this is all a go," the management team member said. "We've worked so hard over the last four years to make this happen." Four years, huh? I guess that says it all. Rob was always great to us though. We're still friends and we still keep in touch.
Me: Any other comments would be greatly appreciated!
Pat:That was my first and last experience as a hired band member. I've always been about being in equal creative control with everyone, which was not the case in HALFORD. With so many people outside the band trying to get involved, throwing in their ideas and influence on HALFORD, I took it as far as I was allowed creatively. It never felt comfortable in that environment. I realized a full year ago when the was no tour to support 'Crucible' that the band had gone as far as it could go with the way business was run in that camp. It was obvious to me things were coming to a halt, so I made plans for my career just as Rob did. I'm fucking ecstatic about my new band, and the Metal God has finally come home.
Keep it heavy and watch for a killer new band and fucking amazing record coming soon....
Cheers,
Pat