If Black Sabbath are the grandfathers of heavy metal, then Judas Priest is the father that outdid them in almost every way. If you ask me to show someone what heavy metal is, I won’t hand them a copy of Paranoid or Master of Reality. I’ll instead hand them a copy of Screaming For Vengeance, British Steel, or Painkiller. That’s what Judas Priest means to the heavy metal community. Without them we wouldn’t have a classic look for heavy metal with studs and leather.
Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash might have been the first to use the twin-guitar attack, but Judas Priest was the one that solidified it in the heavy metal sphere. K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton were and still are probably the best twin guitarists for any band. It was set to be the 50th anniversary celebration for Judas Priest this year. To make up for those shows being postponed, it’s high time for Judas Priest-A-Thon. The brother to the album by album reviews, Iron Maiden-A-Thon. You’re going to be getting a Judas Priest album review, every business day, until we’re all through.
Judas Priest, like many metal bands of the 80’s, were facing a different landscape in the 90’s. They had a new lead singer in Tim “Ripper” Owens, and their previous album, Jugulator was not as popular as they thought it would be. It would take another four years for Judas Priest to return to the studio. In 2001, they released, Demolition. Is it better than Jugulator? Does it do something different? Let’s find out.
Background On Demolition
Ripper Owens cut his teeth as a Judas Priest cover singer, and then finally got the chance to be the real thing. His debut album, Jugulator was a mixed bag that didn’t really sound like Judas Priest. It was a sign of the times that they were moving into a newer, updated sound. That album didn’t sell nearly as well as the previous albums, breaking a multiple album streak of going Gold in the US. Judas Priest would take yet another hiatus and regroup in the studio in 1999. Going back to Silvermere Studios in Surrey, England, their next album would take much longer to record and release.
Demolition would eventually be released July 16th, 2001. It was the longest Judas Priest album up to that point coming in at, 70:44. Surprisingly, it was also the first and only Judas Priest album to have the “PARENTAL ADVISORY” sticker slapped on it. Even Defenders Of The Faith, with one of the songs behind that sticker in “Eat Me Alive” never got one. Ripper Owens says that it’s his favorite album he did with Judas Priest.
The reality of Judas Priest at this point in time was that they were floundering. The heavy metal scene at the time was built around bands like Korn, Slipknot, Linkin Park, and other newcomers. The old guard was being forced to adapt or die. Judas Priest took the first approach. Jugulator was built around the groove metal sounds of the time, while Demolition took inspiration from the Nu-metal scene. It didn’t sell well at all and led to a big decision for all involved in Judas Priest. But let’s get to the music first. We’ve got thirteen tracks to get to.
1. Machine Man
Demolition has some of the ingredients to be an album that made good on the Ripper Owens era of Judas Priest. I’m sure the most hateful Judas Priest fans will dismiss this one outright, but if you sit down and listen to it, it has some good tracks. Like Chinese Democracy by Guns N’ Roses, that album might have benefited more from being labeled as an Axl Rose solo album. If this wasn’t a Judas Priest album, I guarantee it would be seen in a better light. Ripper Owens gives a great performance vocally. The band sounds heavy and hard. The issue that it comes down to, is that the music at times is just too long, and too generic.
Having an album like this, less would be more. Coming in at 70:44, it was the longest Priest album at the time, a lot of this could have gotten cut out. Songs like “One on One”, “Hell Is Home”, “Machine Man”, “Feed On Me”, “Jekyll and Hyde”, and “In Between” show off what this era of Priest was capable of. The other tracks on the album come in at either middling or downright embarrassing. I’m always about giving things a chance, and I don’t think that Ripper Owens was given the fairest of shakes. Fans immediately were not on board with someone following in the footsteps of Rob Halford.
I get that. I really do. But your favorite bands are your favorite bands for a reason. If they felt that Ripper Owens was up to snuff, I would give him a shot. It’s the same thing with Iron Maiden and Blaze Bayley. Give the guy a shot, and they’ll probably be better than you think.
More On Ripper Owens And Demolition
If you look back at what Ripper Owens has done since his time in Judas Priest, he’s proved himself as a great singer in the heavy metal sphere. He went on to sing in Iced Earth, and is now the singer in KK Downing’s version of Judas Priest. His time in Judas Priest is now mostly forgotten or ignored by the band. While these albums are not as good as the previous albums or the ones that come after it, the time isn’t so bad that it has to be forgotten.
Demolition and Jugulator aren’t horrible albums, but they are products of a horrible time for metal. Groove metal and Nu-metal are blights upon the grand scheme of the genre in my opinion. Instead of trying to replicate those sounds, Judas Priest should have gone with what they know.
Score For Demolition
The album is better than Jugulator. It doesn’t deserve to be maligned like it does. The album has some good tracks and it is heavy as hell. I’ll give it a 7/10. If there was a way to cut out some of the fat on it, it might have gotten a better score. For now, it remains an album that I don’t revisit a lot, but the tracks that do make the cut in playlists, are the best ones from the album.
Judas Priest would undergo a major, major development shortly after this album. Bands like Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister were reuniting with their classic and most famous lineups. Rob Halford was busy during his time away from Judas Priest. He released albums with the band Fight and had solo albums as well. Those solo albums are great material that showed what Judas Priest might have looked like if he stayed in the band.
Rob Halford returned to Judas Priest in July 2003, the band celebrated with the release of the Metalogy box set. Owens and Judas Priest separated amicably, with Owens taking over the mantle of lead singer in the band Ice Earth.
Conclusion And Legacy Of The Ripper Era
It would take a couple years after this reunion for Judas Priest to make another album however. You’ll have to read more about Angel of Retribution tomorrow. The Ripper years of Judas Priest were marked by low sales and a dip in popularity for the band. I, however, am grateful for the time that Ripper gave to Judas Priest. Without the Ripper, things might be vastly different for Judas Priest. The band would not have lived on taking an extended hiatus like that.
The return of Rob Halford was a needed one, and it led to a period of renewed interest in the band. We’ll have to see where that takes us when Judas Priest-A-Thon comes back tomorrow with 2005’s Angel of Retribution.
For more on Judas Priest, heavy metal, or any other general pop culture, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.
All images and audio are courtesy of Judas Priest.
Reviews