Tag: Judas Priest
4 Judas Priest to Release Nostradamus June 13th!
JUDAS PRIEST’s long-awaited concept album, Nostradamus, will be released in Europe on June 13th as a regular CD and Deluxe Edition CD via Sony/BMG. Guitarist K.K. Downing told BW&BK recently that the album – based on the life and predictions of 16th-century French prophet Nostradamus – will contain “18 songs clocking in at over an hour and a half.”
In a separate interview with BW&BK, frontman Rob Halford added: “We’re treating this like it’s the holy grail of heavy metal. We’re so protective about it – which you have to be – because I think that one of the intriguing things about creating anything – whether it be writing a book or making a move – the less you say about something, the more people want to know about it. And we don’t need to hype it up, it’s internal. The metal fans around the world have great expectations for this record. They know we’re not going to drop the ball. They know we’re going to give everybody something that’s fantastic and top quality. And that’s what it should be after 35 years.”
Courtesy of Bravewords.com
0 Judas Priest – Jugulator (Release Year – 1997)
When Judas Priest announced former Judas Priest Cover Band, British Steel singer, Tim “Ripper” Owens as the new singer in 1996, I had high hopes the band would beable to maintain the same level of intensity the band had on the Painkiller disc.
The first time I heard the Jugulator disc, I was completely let down. Owens came off like a bad Halford clone. I thought maybe the band has been too far removed from the recording process to recapture their classic metal sound. It was 7 years since Painkiller was released after all.
I haven’t played Jugulator for quite a while, but a couple of songs off this disc have made their way onto the Boneyard playlist on XM Radio. Strangely enough, the songs started growing on me. I decided to give this album another chance. I may have been a little too quick to write this one off.
Looking at the track listing, one must quickly garner that the band is quite angry on this release. The subject matter is certainly heavy and on the depressing side. Is their a rule that says that a metal band has to write all doom and gloom tunes? Judas Priest has quite a few upbeat, catchy tunes in their repertoire. You won’t find may of those on Jugulator.
A quick run down of the tracks:
Jugulator is high speed sonic attack that at times almost ventures into the Power Metal category. Owens is quick to establish that he has a multi-faceted voice, but this song does nothing to excite me. Whoever mixed this album picked the wrong song to open up this album.
Blood Stained is a much better tune. I actually like this one a lot. It is a little different from the classic Priest sound, but I like Owens growly vocals on this one. Judas Priest should have done more songs like this one on Jugulator.
Dead Meat is a heavy tune that resembles the Painkiller sound somewhat. The one thing that is missing from this song, is a catchy chorus. This song just doesn’t work for me.
On Death Row, Ripper tends to scream more than he sings. It is a heavy driving tune, and the chorus is a little better on this one, but it takes a little too long to get it. The lyrics are a little cheesy but it is a tune that has grown on me.
Decapitate doesn’t have a whole lot of redeeming qualities. This tune comes across as a moody, noisy metal track. I find this one, a hard song to listen too.
After the migraine causing Decapitate (no pun intended) Burn in Hell is a move in the right direction. The band slows the rhythm down long enough for the listeners to catch their breath, and then blast off into what is one of Judas Priest’s better songs with Ripper Owens.
Unfortunately, I felt the migraine returning with Brain Dead (maybe it has something to do with head related songs). This is more metal noise with little replay value.
Abductors is more of a mid tempo metal song. It isn’t a
great song, but it is better than many of those that came before it.
I had high hopes for the song Bullet Train. After all, this seems like a cool subject matter to write a good metal song about. Sadly, once again, this is another tune that does not deliver. Chalk this one up to poor song writing.
Does any one really need a nine minute song? Their are some rare exceptions to this rule, but Cathedral Spires is not one of them. Judas Priest should have learned their lesson with this extremely lengthy metal migraine. Sadly, they went on to do another 9 minute stinker Lochness on Angel of Retribution.
As a whole, my first reaction to Jugulator was the right one. There are two or three songs with redeeming qualities, but this does not make a good CD. Ripper Owens debut with Judas Priest was a flawed one for sure. It may not be completely his fault. Very few vocalists can overcome a poorly written song, and Ripper just didn’t have the
experience to save most of those badly crafted tunes. After listening to Jugulator, I am glad that Rob Halford is back with the band. I am going to go take some Excedrin now!
Jugulator is a disc that will appeal to die hard metal fans, and those wanting to complete their Judas Priest collections only.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Jugulator
2. Blood Stained
3. Dead Meat
4. Death Row
5. Decapitate
6. Burn in Hell
7. Brain Dead
8. Abductors
9. Bullet Train
10. Cathedral Spires
Judas Priest is:
Ripper Owens – Vocals
KK Downing – Guitars
Glenn Tipton – Guitars
Ian Hill – Bass
Scott Travis – Drums
1 Video – Judas Priest – Burn in Hell
10 Top Ten Metal Songs For Halloween
Here are the Hard Rock Hideout’s Top 10 Metal Songs for Halloween!
Be sure to check out these other fine sites for more tricks and treats:
0 Halford – Metal God Essentials Vol 1. (2007)
Rob Halford has taken control of his music, and has released Metal God Essentials Vol.1 on his own label, Metal God Entertainment.
You are probably asking, why on earth would a disc released in 2007 be in a Rare Rock Rewind segment?! My copy was a numbered edition that was autographed by the Metal God, Rob Halford. By the time you are reading this, the 5000 limited edition autographed copies will be sold out.
Metal God Essentials is a pretty cool package. The version I
received came with a bonus CD, and a DVD with promo clips, behind the scenes and live performances in a nice digipak.
This CD is filled with cuts from the first two Halford releases Resurrection and Crucible, a few tracks from Rob’s former band Fight, as well as a couple of new cuts Forgotten Generation and Drop Out.
Metal God Essentials is full of quality cuts. If you don’t own any of Rob Halford’s music outside of Judas Priest, this is a great way to pick up some of the best tunes he ever did.
If Rob Halford continues to put out quality releases like this one, I will certainly be picking up more releases from his label as they arrive. If you are a Rob Halford or Judas Priest fan, you need to pick this up! Highly Recommended!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
CD1
1. Resurrection
2. Made In Hell
3. Screaming In The Dark
4. Golgotha
5. Silent Screams – 1999 Demo
6. Crystal
7. Into The Pit
8. Nailed To The Gun
9. Slow Down
10. Locked And Loaded
11. Forgotten Generation
12. Drop Out
13. War Of Words
14. Sun
15. Trail Of Tears
16. Redemption Mix
CD2
1. Hypocrisy U.S. Mix
2. Vendetta Australia and So.America Mix
3. Redemption European Mix
4. Resistance Canadian Mix
