British metal legends Judas Priest want to wish their fans a very merry Christmas, and they did so by sharing some of the best news Priest fans could hope for. In the band's Christmas message, Judas Priest confirmed that a new album will see the light of day in 2014!

Judas Priest's long-awaited follow-up to 2008's 'Nostradamus' has been anticipated for a few years now. In August, Priest finished writing their new album, their first with new guitarist Richie Faulkner since he replaced K.K. Downing.

“It’s heavy. It’s something we think our Priest fans will be thrilled with," vocalist Rob Halford told Billboard about Priest's 17th album. "We know we have a reputation to maintain, and we know we have to deliver something really strong and solid. The album is going to be full of all the great things you love about Judas Priest — I don’t think I can say anything more than that without being hung, drawn and quartered.”

Yesterday (Dec. 22), Judas Priest posted the following Christmas message on their official website:

We wish all of our fans a great Christmas and a very metal New Year!

We will be releasing a new album sometime in 2014 so stay tuned......!!

Looks like we've got another reason to get excited for 2014! We'll be looking out for updates on Judas Priest's 17th studio album, so stay tuned for all your Priest news.

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