"Jugulator" is a better Judas Priest album than "Nostradamus"-Ripper Owens

[That 70s Guy]

blabbermouth.net

Ex-JUDAS PRIEST Singer TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Says 'Jugulator' Is Better Album Than 'Nostradamus' - Sep. 3, 2011
Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner conducted an interview with powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (DIO DISCIPLES, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: I was excited to learn you had joined Yngwie [Malmsteen] in 2008, though he usually only lasts one or two albums with the same singer. What happened in your case?

Owens: I'm still with Yngwie.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: Oh, really? I had read where you said you didn't know about his "Relentless" album coming out with you on it, so it sounded like you weren't in the band anymore.

Owens: I had been asked in an interview about Yngwie releasing an album, and I didn't know about it. The songs that were left after "Perpetual Flame" (in 2008) weren't actually leftovers. They were extra material. I actually like "Relentless" better than "Perpetual Flame". But Yngwie releases a lot of instrumentals, so I didn't know if those songs were going to be released. I actually leave the DIO DISCIPLES tour and go on tour with Yngwie.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: When you were in [JUDAS] PRIEST, how hard was it on you as the rumors kept building regarding Rob's [Halford] return, and the rest of the guys doing interviews and being asked about him?

Owens: Well, I knew it was going to happen someday, but everyone around me was so professional in the way they handled it. The band and I, we're friends, you know. Listen, the proof was in the pudding when I got on stage and I could sing the material. Now when you look back after all these years, if you compare "Jugulator" [the 1997 JUDAS PRIEST album featuring Owens on lead vocals] and "Nostradamus" [the 2008 PRIEST double-disc concept album which is based on the mysterious, world-known 16th century French prophet Nostradamus], I think "Jugulator" is better. But Rob is the man. I understand that, and I knew it was going to come. And to tell you the truth, I was actually alright with it coming. I tour more and do more stuff in my life now. But if I hadn't done PRIEST, I wouldn't be doing some of the stuff I do now, either.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: So what do you think of [guitarist] K.K.'s [Downing] departure [from JUDAS PRIEST]? When was the last time you saw him or spoke with him?

Owens: You know, it's just one of those things. I'd rather see him in the band. Hopefully, it will work out one day, and everything will be hunky-dory. I'm glad everyone's happy and Ken's happy. They've had this so-called last tour, but they're not really advertising it as such anymore, and maybe that has to do with Ken not being there. I don't know. Maybe someday it'll work out again, and they'll make another record (with him) or go out again. I saw him in Manchester, England, a few months back, maybe in June, at one of the DIO DISCIPLES shows.

Read the entire interview at San Antonio Metal Music Examiner.

 

[Riff Raff]

Nostradamus is a concept album and as such is quite underated, I still think it is better then Jugulator by a long shot. Demolition however was Owens best album with the band.

 

[METALPRIEST]

He seems cool about everything and not bitter, which is a good thing.

I also agree that Demolition was a better album. I may have to spin Jugulator today.

But better than Nostradamus?? IMO, I'm gonna say no. I thought it was way more one dimensional.

 

[Riff Raff]

He seems cool about everything and not bitter, which is a good thing.

I also agree that Demolition was a vetter album. I may have to spin Jugulator today.

But better than Nostradamus?? IMO, I'm gonna say no. I thought it was way more one dimensional.

I dunno how he can even compare albums anyway, Nostradamus was a concept album, radically different in style.

 

[METALPRIEST]

Yup. Compare Jugulator to Angel Of Retribution...oh did we forget that one??

 

[aeroplane]

I liked Jugulator for being a raw, back-to-basics metal album. It is one of my favorite Priest records. Even so, it is hard to compare that record to anything Rob has done since returning, including Nostradamus.

However, my opinion is that Jugulator is considerably better than Angel of Retribution. Some of the criticisms that I've seen over the years for Jugulator generally center upon the song lyrics.

I have a feeling at least a couple of those songs from the finished Jugulator album would have been resting comfortably on the cutting room floor if Halford had been in the band. As a result, it is impossible for me to compare that type of record with Tim Owens (who wasn't doing any writing with Priest) to some concept album that Rob participated in and presumably did a large amount of writing on.

I always thought it would have been interesting to have Tim and Rob perform together either in the studio or in concert. I also wish Rob would finally follow through on the numerous, very public promises he has made over the past several years to finally play some Tim Owens material live.

 

[That 70s Guy]

I have never heard "Jugulator" but.....I didn't like "Nostradamus",it was one of those WTF albums.

 

[aeroplane]

I have never heard "Jugulator" but.....

Now you have. Sort of.


First single/video from the album.




Album opener

 

[DaKillerWolf]

Ripper is high. JP sucked when he was in them and so did Iced Earth. I can't think of anything he has done that is all that great IMO other then Perpetual Flame w/ Y. Malmsteen.

Angel of Retribution was Judas Priest's return to real Metal after all of that industrial influenced
wanna be modern "metal" kiddie radio fare they were putting out w/ Ripper .

 

[aeroplane]

Ripper is high. JP sucked when he was in them and so did Iced Earth. I can't think of anything he has done that is all that great IMO other then Perpetual Flame w/ Y. Malmsteen.

Angel of Retribution was Judas Priest's return to real Metal after all of that industrial influenced
wanna be modern "metal" kiddie radio fare they were putting out w/ Ripper .

Seeing that Tipton/Downing were doing Priest's writing during the Ripper-era and they weren't letting Owens write squat for lyrics or music, you're really blaming the wrong guy for "that industrial influenced wanna be modern metal kiddie radio fare."

If the Tim Owens albums proved anything, it was that Tipton/Downing were better off with Halford's songwriting contributions.

The Iced Earth thing I've discussed on other forums before. He wasn't a good fit with them. However, Iced Earth is partly responsible and either those guys or their management were a little naive.

I think Iced Earth were mostly concerned with dollar signs and figured that getting "the guy who used to sing in Judas Priest" would somehow give them more album sales, more press and maybe even a new (major) record deal overnight. It didn't matter to them whether or not Ripper was compatible.

When their career didn't take off like they had hoped with a big-name singer in the band and when they noticed their album sales had stayed about the same, they booted his ass and brought in someone who was a safer/better fit.