Vinyl has been making a massive comeback in recent years and both Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford and guitarist Richie Faulkner have been getting back into the format. In a recent interview with Alan Ovington, Faulkner talks about the satisfying experience of listening to and hunting down vinyl and mentions that he loves just about everything when it comes to Mastodon's 2017 album Emperor Of Sand – including the music
"I've just got back into the experience of vinyl, and going to hunt for vinyls. You never know what you're going to find. You get a good 12-by-12 piece of artwork; you read the lyrics; you put the needle on; you experience the whole thing.
"It can be anything from Mastodon's latest record, Emperor of Sand, which I think is phenomenal. They've really embodied that whole thing – the artwork, the packaging, the experience of the vinyl. It could go right back to Elvis or The Stones, or Hendrix. There's a vast gamut of things which I personally listen to and get inspiration from."
Halford chimes in about listening to other music than what your band makes, saying the following.
"If you're a real musician – what I mean by that is if you're a musician that's able to have the blinkers off and to have a very open mind, to listen to other music and bear in mind that you yourself have gained influence from other musicians as you were finding your way through your life in music – that's going to have some real importance as a creative person."
So there you have it. Richie Faulker loves Mastodon and y'all need to open your mids sometimes, so says metal god Rob Halford.
