Judas Priest singer Rob Halford insists there will never be a group tell-all - because he and his bandmates have too much respect for each other to open up about dark days and embarrassing moments.

The Breaking the Law rocker is often asked to bare all in book form, but he admits he couldn't run the risk of upsetting his pals.

He tells Esquire magazine, "It's basically (about) trust and respect for each other. I would never say anything about Glenn (Tipton), even about the music to a certain respect.

"As far as the dirty laundry that some bands are very, very open about displaying, the most important thing for Priest is the music. We really treasure it. And I'm only speaking for myself, but once you get beyond that and you get deeper, digging in the dirt, it can really dilute what you're about and what you're trying to be with your music.

"So, we're very, very protective of that. We've also been fortunate in that we're surrounded by people outside of the band who are very protective of us as well.

"You get these tell-all book from agents and managers that don't really know the truth. We've been lucky. We're constantly asked if we're going to do a book. Well, it seems the only way you can get a book to be successful is to dig up the dirt, and I don't want to do that, personally. I think it's also part of the magic and mystery of the band, isn't it?"