Richie Faulkner: ”Judas Priest came from a place of progressive blues. The seeds of metal were sewn through the blues – that's the true heritage of heavy metal”

Currently flexing his bluesier chops with metal supergroup Elegant Weapons, Faulkner reflects on how his recent heart surgery gave him a new lease on life, and why his forthcoming signature Gibson V will be ”the most metal-sounding guitar you’ve ever heard”