The end of an extraordinary era in heavy metal has arrived. JUDAS PRIEST founding bassist Ian Hill has officially announced his retirement after 56 years with the legendary British band, revealing that worsening arthritis and a serious shoulder injury have made continuing to perform increasingly difficult.
In an emotional announcement released on Friday 9 October 2026, the 74-year-old musician confirmed that he is stepping away from the band he helped build into one of heavy metal’s most influential institutions.
Hill, who joined the group in 1970 and performed on every JUDAS PRIEST studio album, has been a constant presence throughout the band’s remarkable history.
From the early days of British heavy metal to international arena tours, Grammy recognition and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Hill has witnessed virtually every chapter of the band’s extraordinary journey.
His departure marks a significant turning point for JUDAS PRIEST, with URIAH HEEP and ELEGANT WEAPONS bassist Davey Rimmer confirmed as his replacement.
🖤 Ian Hill Confirms His Retirement
For decades, Hill has been known as one of heavy metal’s most dependable musicians, quietly delivering the powerful bass foundations behind JUDAS PRIEST’s unmistakable sound.
However, in his retirement statement, he revealed that years of physical problems had finally caught up with him.
The bassist explained that he had always intended to continue performing until his ability to deliver the standard expected of him began to suffer.
Sadly, he now believes that moment has arrived.
Hill disclosed that he has been struggling with arthritis for several years, with the condition becoming particularly advanced in his left shoulder and right hand.
He also confirmed that arthritis is affecting his right shoulder and both knees.
Despite attempts to manage the pain through medication, topical treatments and cortisone injections, the physical demands of performing have become increasingly difficult.
For a musician who has spent more than five decades touring the world, the decision represents a heartbreaking but understandable conclusion to an extraordinary career.
💔 Shoulder Injury Forced Hill To Miss London Concert
The seriousness of Hill’s condition became particularly apparent during JUDAS PRIEST’s recent European tour.
Although the bassist had continued performing despite his arthritis, concerns were growing about whether he would be physically capable of completing every scheduled concert.
As a precaution, the band asked Davey Rimmer to learn their live setlist and remain available if Hill became unable to perform.
Those preparations proved essential.
During the band’s concert in Brussels, Hill suffered a torn tendon in his already troublesome left shoulder shortly before the encore.
The injury left him unable to raise his arm sufficiently to reach the neck of his bass guitar.
Consequently, Hill was forced to withdraw from JUDAS PRIEST’s performance at London’s Eventim Apollo on 21 September 2026.
Rimmer stepped in at extremely short notice, allowing the concert to proceed.
It was an extraordinary moment in the band’s history, marking Hill’s first absence from a JUDAS PRIEST concert in more than five decades.
🏥 Why Ian Hill Has Decided To Retire
Following the shoulder injury, Hill consulted medical specialists about his condition and the possibility of surgery.
Although doctors suggested he might avoid an operation, there was no guarantee that treatment would restore sufficient strength and mobility for him to complete an entire live performance.
With arthritis already affecting several joints, the bassist faced an increasingly uncertain future on stage.
Hill also explained that his decision was influenced by a desire to spend more time with his family after decades of touring and recording.
After devoting almost his entire adult life to JUDAS PRIEST, he wants to enjoy the years ahead with the people closest to him.
His farewell message ended with a deeply moving expression of gratitude to the band’s supporters:
“Thank you for the life you’ve let me live.”
Those words capture the remarkable relationship between a musician, his band and generations of heavy metal fans.
🎸 Davey Rimmer Confirmed As JUDAS PRIEST’s New Bassist
JUDAS PRIEST have confirmed that Davey Rimmer will take over bass duties following Hill’s retirement.
Rimmer is already familiar to many rock fans through his work with British hard-rock veterans URIAH HEEP and the metal supergroup ELEGANT WEAPONS.
His experience performing alongside established musicians makes him a natural candidate for such an important position.
Crucially, he has already demonstrated his ability to step into the role under considerable pressure.
His last-minute appearance at the band’s London concert in September gave fans an early glimpse of what the next chapter of JUDAS PRIEST might look like.
Hill himself endorsed the appointment, describing Rimmer as an excellent bassist and expressing confidence that he would fit into the group.
Replacing someone who has been part of a band for 56 years is no small undertaking.
However, Rimmer arrives with the blessing of the man whose legacy he will now help carry forward.
⚡ 56 Years Of Heavy Metal History
Ian Hill’s importance to JUDAS PRIEST cannot be overstated.
Born in West Bromwich, England, in 1951, Hill became involved in the band’s formative years alongside guitarist K.K. Downing.
The group that would become JUDAS PRIEST emerged from Birmingham’s surrounding industrial heartland, an area that also produced BLACK SABBATH and helped shape the foundations of heavy metal.
During the early 1970s, JUDAS PRIEST began developing a sound that combined the power of hard rock with increasingly aggressive guitar arrangements, soaring vocals and a distinctly metallic identity.
The arrival of vocalist Rob Halford in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton in 1974 helped establish the lineup responsible for some of the genre’s most important recordings.
Throughout numerous personnel changes, shifting musical trends and decades of touring, Hill remained a constant presence.
While other members came and went, his steady bass playing provided an essential foundation for the band’s evolving sound.
💿 The Albums That Defined A Genre
Hill’s recording career with JUDAS PRIEST stretches across the band’s entire studio discography.
Among the landmark albums featuring his playing are:
- Rocka Rolla (1974) – The band’s debut album and the beginning of their recorded legacy.
- Sad Wings Of Destiny (1976) – An influential release that helped establish their increasingly powerful heavy metal sound.
- Sin After Sin (1977) – An important step in the band’s musical development.
- Stained Class (1978) – A darker and more aggressive record that influenced generations of metal musicians.
- Killing Machine (1978) – A release that combined heavy riffs with a more direct songwriting approach.
- British Steel (1980) – The landmark album featuring Breaking The Law and Living After Midnight.
- Screaming For Vengeance (1982) – A commercial and critical breakthrough featuring You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.
- Defenders Of The Faith (1984) – A celebrated example of classic 1980s heavy metal.
- Painkiller (1990) – One of the band’s most aggressive and influential recordings.
- Firepower (2018) – A powerful late-career release that reaffirmed their musical identity.
- Invincible Shield (2024) – Their nineteenth studio album, demonstrating that the band could still deliver formidable heavy metal more than five decades into their career.
Hill’s contribution to these recordings helped create a catalogue that continues to inspire musicians around the world.
His playing was rarely about elaborate solos or flashy technical displays.
Instead, he focused on delivering the weight, rhythm and consistency that allowed JUDAS PRIEST’s twin-guitar attack to shine.
🔥 The Quiet Backbone Of JUDAS PRIEST
Every legendary metal band needs musicians who understand that power is not always about being the loudest or most visible person on stage.
Ian Hill embodied that philosophy.
While Rob Halford commanded audiences with his extraordinary vocal range and theatrical presence, and the guitarists delivered their unmistakable riffs and solos, Hill remained the steady force holding everything together.
His bass lines gave classic tracks such as Breaking The Law, Electric Eye, Metal Gods, The Hellion/Electric Eye and Painkiller their essential low-end foundation.
His restrained performance style became one of his defining characteristics.
Standing towards the back of the stage, frequently near the amplifiers, Hill allowed the music to do the talking.
And that music helped define heavy metal.
🏆 From Birmingham To The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
During Hill’s tenure, JUDAS PRIEST evolved from an ambitious British rock band into an internationally recognised heavy metal institution.
Their influence extends far beyond record sales and concert attendance.
The band’s leather-and-studs aesthetic, twin-guitar arrangements, powerful vocals and uncompromising musical identity helped establish many of the conventions associated with traditional heavy metal.
In 2022, JUDAS PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
It was recognition of a career that had helped shape the sound, appearance and cultural identity of an entire genre.
For Hill, who had been there throughout the journey, the honour represented another extraordinary milestone.
🎶 Ian Hill Has Already Contributed To New JUDAS PRIEST Music
Despite his retirement from the band, Hill confirmed that he was able to record bass parts for songs intended for JUDAS PRIEST’s forthcoming album.
That means fans may still hear new recordings featuring the legendary bassist after his departure from the touring lineup.
Further details about the album, including its release date and tracklist, have yet to be confirmed.
His contribution could provide a fitting final recorded chapter to one of heavy metal’s longest-running careers.
🖤 A Farewell To A Heavy Metal Institution
The band’s official message acknowledged Hill’s enormous contribution and the sadness surrounding his departure.
JUDAS PRIEST described their longtime bassist as the group’s backbone, thanked him for his years of dedication and wished him well in retirement.
For fans who have followed the band since the 1970s, his departure will undoubtedly feel like the end of an era.
For younger generations who discovered JUDAS PRIEST through Painkiller, Firepower or Invincible Shield, it is a reminder of just how extraordinary the band’s history has been.
Hill has spent 56 years helping bring heavy metal to audiences across the world.
He has performed on countless stages, contributed to genre-defining albums and remained loyal to the musical vision that helped transform JUDAS PRIEST into legends.
His retirement is not simply the departure of another musician.
It is the closing of one of the longest and most remarkable chapters in British heavy metal history.
🤘 THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT – Thank You, Ian Hill
After 56 years, Ian Hill has more than earned the opportunity to put down his bass, step away from the touring circuit and enjoy life with his family.
His retirement is undoubtedly sad news for JUDAS PRIEST fans, but his decision deserves understanding and respect.
There are very few musicians who can claim to have remained part of the same legendary metal band for more than half a century.
Even fewer can say they helped define an entire musical genre along the way.
Ian Hill can.
He was there when British heavy metal was finding its identity.
He was there when JUDAS PRIEST conquered arenas around the world.
He was there through changing musical fashions, lineup changes, industry upheaval and the band’s remarkable late-career resurgence.
And through it all, he remained the dependable heartbeat of one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time.
Davey Rimmer now faces the enormous responsibility of carrying that legacy forward, but the music Hill helped create will continue to inspire fans and musicians for generations.
From everyone at The Riff Report Blog: thank you, Ian, for 56 incredible years of heavy metal.
Enjoy your retirement. You’ve earned it.
Once a Metal God, always a Metal God. 🖤🤘🔥
