The Guardians

Here's what current Priest lead guitarist Richie Faulkner has to say about Downing:

"I've never spoken to Ken. And I don't really know. I honestly don't know. I don't think anyone's spoken to him. I don't think he's spoken to them. I think he speaks to the management. But I've never spoken to him. Most of the stuff now is online. It seems that there's a lot online and not enough talking with each other. But who knows? But we're just forging forward and doing what we can — new record, new tour, and forging forward with that, really."

It is disappointing, but as you say, not at all surprising. There are a lot of similarities between the Ozzy and Dio stories, with dominating women making decisions for them with no consideration beyond money. Both Ozzy Osbourne and Dio released two great "band albums" before the problems came to a head.

So Body Count guitarist & 'Forbidden' producer Ernie C has responded on a recent episode of 'The Official Danko Jones Podcast':

"On Ice's first record, he sampled Sabbath's 'War Pigs'. And Tony Iommi got a whiff of it and he started listening to it and he said he liked it. And then he heard that I produced those first Body Count records that we did and he just gave us a call. And also, Miles Copeland helped out. Stewart Copeland's brother ran I.R.S Records. Miles helped get it together. Tony listened to the sample on there and then he started listening to our records and said 'I like that.' Miles came and said, 'I can get him to produce your next album].'… So we were in England and Tony came to our hotel. He said, 'I would like you to do our new record.' 

 Producing Sabbath was cool. It was a rock and roll experience that you can just say, 'Well, I did a Black Sabbath record, and I'm done. And it also made me say, 'Yeah, I really don't wanna produce bands that are already established'. It's good to produce young people that are listening. But when you're so set in your ways… I didn't feel any pressure trying to make a Sabbath album that would stand alongside the band's classic efforts. I really didn't pay that much attention to it. I was more of a Led Zeppelin fan. I loved Sabbath and this and that, but I wasn't a 'die-hard die-hard.' I wasn't intimidated… And the thing about that was that was the time when the vinyl was out, and I told them, 'I'm gonna dry the sound up a little bit.' Those records from the '80s were big sounding records. They sound like you're playing in a tunnel. So I told them, 'We're gonna dry it up a little bit.' 'Cause the vinyl was dry — that's what made the vinyl sound. It was so dry and in your face. It's not a big tunnel. That was the Van Halen stuff — the one guitar in the one ear. It's big and large, but if it had been dried up, I don't think it would have been that popular. There's something to that era that lends to you almost seeing 'em on a stage and you're back in the seats. And then when Nirvana came along, it made it more personal, like you're sitting down with someone… Nirvana made it more dried up and in your face, like we're gonna sit down and come to my garage and listen to my band." 

I'm not sure I've heard anything since Risk, so can't really comment. I will say that Risk is as bad as everyone says it is though, which is probably why I haven't bothered with Megadeth since.