THE BEAST

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing says that he doesn't feel inspired to launch a new project, eight years after he left the iconic British heavy metal outfit.

K.K. announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2011. He has since been replaced by Richie Faulkner , who was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris , daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris .

During a brand new interview with the "Do You Know Jack?" show, Downing was asked what the future holds for the legendary 67-year-old axeman.

"When I was a kid growing up, somebody that would be 67 years old, to me, would be a very old person," he said. "But I don't feel like that. I still feel I'm the same. Yeah, I can get up and do it again. I'm always primed and ready.

"I get lots of invites, which I do turn down," he explained. "There's lots of people I know and [with whom] I've become good friends from various bands over the years, and it would be lots of fun and good to do something. But I'm thinking if it's not JUDAS PRIEST , then maybe it's best to just leave it there, really. I'm not of a mind to start over again. But something neat could pop up, something neat could happen — I don't know… So it's a case of treading carefully, really, because it is very time consuming to get involved again with new people, and there's lots of things, logistically, that need to happen. So it's a lot of hard work and time. I don't know. There might be a better position for me. Exactly what I don't know, really. I'll see what this year brings. I've got a lot of things I need to do myself. I'll see what this year brings and probably will be making definitive decisions at some point, I guess, this year as to where I go next."

Last year, Downing revealed that he actually sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit PRIEST . The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing told The Guardian that he believes the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST following Glenn Tipton 's decision to retire from the road due to his battle with Parkinson's disease.

K.K. , who has spent the last few months promoting his autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest" , also said the other members of PRIEST have tried to remove him from his ongoing position as a co-director of the PRIEST organization, a role he's unwilling to relinquish.

Despite all the bad blood, Downing said he hopes he and the other members can repair their relationship before it's too late. "If something happened to me, I'd like to think the guys would come to my funeral, and vice versa," he said. "You never know what's going to happen."

Via Blabbermouth