He tells The Sick Room: "It's been about six years since Nostradamus was made and as much as we love that record, and we still have some exciting things that we're working on to reconnect with that in the not-too-distant future.

"But at the end of the day it is all about new music. You're only as good as your last record. We thought it was time after Nostradamus to re-establish all of the elements that make Priest what it is.