K.K. Downing's 'Stoked' To Be Part of Black Sabbath's Final Show' (Exclusive)
Heavy metal comes home on July 5 when Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath take the stage for one last time in their hometown for Back to the Beginning. And one person who was there from the very beginning will be on hand to see Ozzy, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler off: K.K. Downing of Judas Priest fame, whose blistering solos and incredible riffs continue to inspire generations of fans to throw up the horns and bang their heads.
'When I was first asked to do this,' Downing tells Parade in an exclusive interview, 'I was completely, as you can imagine, over the moon—completely stoked and knowing that it was going to be very, very special indeed. So, I couldn't not be a part of this.'
Downing, who currently leads his band KK's Priest, is one of Back to the Beginning's featured performers, alongside stars like Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, Duff McKagan and Slash of Guns N' Roses, Lzzy Hale of Halestorm and Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine.
'A huge lineup of musicians,' remarks Downing. 'I dunno how everybody's going to be fitted in, but it's going to be fun. It's going to be the biggest metal party on the planet—in history! So looking forward to that.'
But, unlike those other legends of rock, Downing was there when metal began. Judas Priest—Downing, Rob Halford, Ian Hill, and Glenn Tipton—also formed in Birmingham in the 1960s, like Black Sabbath, performing a harder sound than the flower power, psychedelia of the prior decade.
'When we started in the sixties, Sabbath and Priest, everything was so new,' Downing tells Parade. 'It was just an embryo, and nobody knew what it was going to look like or sound like, but we just battled on. It was something inside of us said, 'there has to be something out there for all of the working-class youngsters.''
Sabbath and Priest hail from a part of England known as 'the Black Country,' a name originating around the Industrial Revolution due to the soot and smoke from the thousands of ironworking foundries built there (as well as the 30-foot-thick coal seams in the area, per the BBC).
'I think Birmingham, the Black Country, north of London, it's just a massive percentage of working-class kids. Speaking for myself, there were genres around, whether it was jazz or big band or pop or whatever—nothing really fit the bill,' explains Downing.
Downing tells Parade that he was a huge blues fan as it was becoming big in England in the 1960s ('I went to so many bands'), but he still knew there was another sound out there that resonated more deeply. So, when he started to play guitar, he tried his best to find it.
'It was just a punt,' he says. 'I think it was just, 'let's have a go at this. This is how I feel.''
And that's how Priest, Sabbath and proto-metal bands helped create a new genre. They added blues and hard rock with their hometown authenticity (and a healthy dose of the Back Country's grit and grime).
'Everything was just so more meaningful and emotional,' says Downing. 'The music had a bit more mystique and intrigue and, dare I say, a little bit of darkness about it. It just touched on subjects where other people weren't going, if that makes sense.'
From there, Downing made rock history, helping to create now-classic albums such as British Steel, Hell Bent for Leather (also known as Killing Machine), Screaming for Vengeance,and Painkiller.
And Downing hasn't slowed down. 'We've been very, very busy in the past few years,' he says of KK's Priest, the band he formed in 2019. The band includes Tim "Ripper" Owens, who replaced Rob Halford as Judas Priest's vocalist from 1996 to 2003.
'So this year, it's a case of doing a lot of other things, like the Sabbath show, which is fantastic," says Downing, adding he plans on working on new material and lining up tours, giving a 'great consideration to KK's Priest.'
And new music from K.K. Downing is coming sooner than fans expect.
In 2024, Judas Priest obtained the master recordings and publishing rights to their first two albums, Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny.
'There are lots of things that we can be doing [with them],' says Downing. 'In fact, I rerecorded a track [from Rocka Rolla], 'Never Satisfied,' featuring Tim 'Ripper' Owens on vocals, that's separate to K.K.'s Priest. This Friday, I believe that's coming this Friday.'
And on Saturday, Villa Park in Birmingham becomes the metal capital of the universe as all eyes and ears turn to witness Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne's curtain call.
Downing also gives a hint as to what he might play as part of the 'super groups' forming throughout the day. 'I think in respect to songs, they're all classics, aren't they?' he says of Sabbath's discography. 'So therefore, whatever's decided, and I will be only too happy to give it my best shot. I love to play a whole album's worth, but with so many artists, it's going to be really tight.'
Either way, K.K. Downing says that 'everybody's really looking forward to it and really stoked.'K.K. Downing's 'Stoked' To Be Part of Black Sabbath's Final Show' (Exclusive) first appeared on Parade on Jul 1, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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