Band:	Judas Priest
Album:	Jugulator
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	October 16, 1997
Guest review by:	Hermann Langke

01. Jugulator
02. Blood Stained
03. Dead Meat
04. Death Row
05. Decapitate
06. Burn In Hell
07. Brain Dead
08. Abductors
09. Bullet Train
10. Cathedral Spires

Heavy Metal is is a way of life. If Iron Maiden gave it a mascot in Eddie or if Dio [R.I.P.] gave it a greeting in the sign of the Devil's Horns, then Judas Priest gave it the look of chains,denims, leathers and studs. But their reputation goes beyond their fashion statement as they are also well known for their music. The album which I am about to inspect is one of their lesser known albums and is called Jugulator .

Jugulator was released in 1998 and was the first not to feature Rob Halford. His place was taken by Tim 'Ripper' Owens, formerly a singer of British Steel, a Judas Priest tribute band, This rags to riches story would later be the inspiration for the movie "Rockstar". Jugulator was released at a crisis time for Heavy Metal. The Grunge movement had all but spelt doom for the Hair bands of the 80's and had badly wounded the old school Metal bands like Iron Maiden. Other big bands like Metallica had too drastically changed their sound to be even called Metal anymore. No one even gave Judas Priest a chance as without their charismatic frontman,Rob Halford, and in the middle of the Grunge movement they were as good as dead. But Judas Priest defied all the odds to release one of their heaviest albums ever recorded. Read my lips when I am saying that Jugulator is one of their heaviest albums ever and you have to listen it to believe it.

The album opens with the title track "Jugulator" which gives you the feeling that a factory metal presser is headed towards you and it will annihilate you. Tim "Ripper" Owens proves that he is a match to Rob Halford pitch for pitch and note for note and screams like a howling siren. Glenn Tipton and KK Downing are as timelessly brilliant as ever. Both of them exchange leads of brain frying dexterity in "Bullet Train". On hearing their guitar playing it is difficult to believe that both of them are in the half-century mark as far as age is concerned. Scott Travis is remarkable behind the drum-kit and is double-bass kicks at times almost sounds like a galloping horse! The production is first-class and even in the midst of those heavy guitars it is possible to hear the Ian Hill's neatly executed bass-lines. Songs like "Dead Meat" and "Death Row" will leave any headbangers wanting for more. The album ends with "Cathedral Spires" and it contains classic introductory riff which is reminiscent of the classic era of the 80's and is a perfect ending to a mercilessly heavy album.

Jugulator is my all-time favorite album and it is perhaps the most under-rated album by Judas Priest. This can be explained by the fact that people were so much used to the Halford-era Judas Priest that they did not even consider this new line-up worthwhile. Had Halford been on the album it maybe would have been a classic as Jugulator had all the typical ingredients of a Priest classic, only the original vocalist was missing. But people often forget that this album was released at a time when Heavy Metal was almost considered dead.

The very fact that Judas Priest made such a heavy record in such unfriendly circumstances is commendable in itself. This is an under-rated Judas Priest classic.