Released freshly after the departure of famed frontman Rob Halford, Judas Priest's 1997 Jugulator has been much maligned by the metal faithful-although to be fair, not as much as its honestly abysmal 2001 follow up, Demolition-yet, with the rose-tinted glasses of hindsight, time has shown that the album, though not without its flaws, to be a solid entry within the Priest canon.
Jugulator-which also served as plot fodder for the Mark Wahlberg film vehicle Metal God, a.k.a. Rock Star-introduced to the world one Tim Owens, a Priest cover band frontman with powerful pipes of his own, then rivaling and echoing those of the band's iconic, chrome-topped frontman. Dubbed 'Ripper' after his fairytale induction into the Judas Priest camp-after the band witnessed footage of Owens nailing the iconic opening wail of "Victim of Changes," Owens and his bandmates then began their uphill battle 'gainst their own legendary status: trying to convince longtime loyal fans, whilst also doing their best to compose an album which would stand alongside Judas Priest's iconic back catalog.
The result was Jugulator: a meaty 'n muscular effort which admittedly pandered to the tough guy Pantera-isms of the day, although only slightly more so than the thrash-tinged glory of Painkiller, the band's final-up until that point-masterpiece with Halford in 1990. The album was certainly heavy and bruising, yet Judas Priest's melodic, dual guitar songwriting shown through at almost every opportunity, balancing out nicely the gritty realism of a song like "Dead Meat" with the subtle vocal nuances of Owens.
This balance flowed through nearly every song on Jugulator, proving that, although Priest may have been seeking modern day pastures of appreciation, they would do so on their own terms, successfully nodding to their own metal past all the way. A proper example of this fact would be again displayed on the album's title track, a monstrous ode to a spine-ripping beast which had been stylistic de rigueur for the band up until that point.
The opening track didn't disappoint, either, unleashing Owens' piercing screech to the masses, offering up the young frontman as a vital, fresh mirror image of Halford in his prime. While Rob was on the road promoting his industrial-tinged Two collaboration with Trent Reznor, Judas Priest's determined mission to regain metal fans' trust was clearly apparent...although not everyone jumped on board the 'Ripper' Owens express.
Many fans, rightfully so, yearned for the Halford halcyon days, and Jugulator's nearly one dimensional focus on aggression didn't exactly go over well with older fans, used to a more dynamic Priest in their ears. While such forgettable sonic fare as "Abductors" and "Brain Dead" didn't do the album any favors for this contingent, Jugulator did indeed possess more dynamic elements than for which it received credit, most noticably the speeding "Bullet Train" and epic album closer "Cathedral Spires."
This latter song in particular is deserving of re-appraisal; a near ten minute epic which encapsulates almost every classic Priest element from its hair-raising Owens introduction to the final, blazing electric finish. It was here where guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing tipped their own hats to their heritage, and delivered a closing metal statement which managed to almost universally convince fans from both sides of the fence.
So, while Judas Priest-now contentedly aligned with Rob Halford once more-may not be playing any Jugulator songs on their current Epitaph farewell tour, the album shouldn't be allowed to fade away into late-90s obscurity. After all...is Nostradamus really that much better?
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