Judas Priest announced Monday they will hit the road without guitarist Andy Sneap.
In a statement, it said fans can expect to see “an even more powerful, relentless four-piece heavy metal band” when the tour begins in March.
“Big thanks to Andy for all you’ve done and continuing to be in the production team for our new album.”
Sneap replaced Glenn Tipton, who stepped away from touring in 2018 due to Parkinson’s disease.
Judas Priest said Tipton will be “coming out on stage with us here and there as before.”
In a statement to Blabbermouth, Sneap said it was “incredibly disappointing” to find out a week ago that he was out of the touring line-up.
“I respect his decision as they obviously have a vision [of] how they want this to play out,” he wrote. “This always was a temporary situation, and like I’ve said before, I’ll always help the band any way I can, and that applies going forward also.”
Sneap, who co-produced Judas Priest’s most recent album Firepower, said he is looking forward “to making a killer follow-up.”
The North American leg of the Judas Priest tour wraps up in April with concerts in Halifax, Quebec City, Laval and Hamilton.