In a new interview with “Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane McEachern”, JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis was asked why the two studio albums singer Tim “Ripper” Owens recorded with JUDAS PRIEST — 1997’s “Jugulator” and 2001’s “Demolition” — are not available on the major streaming services. Travis replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think the record label went out of business. And with [singer] Rob [Halford] being back in the band, it’s kind of probably a delicate situation as far as, ‘Hey, we wanna re-release these records.’ But I’m not even sure who owns the rights [to them], to be honest, like I said, because the record label went out business. But we’re in a different moment.
“Rob is the singer of JUDAS PRIEST and was, obviously, early on and is a legend in his own right,” Scott added. “But there were some good songs during the Ripper years, definitely some good songs in there. But to [re-]release the whole records, I don’t know.”
Back in March 2024, former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK’S PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing was asked by Rob Rush of Long Island’s 94.3 The Shark radio station about the absence from the streaming platforms of the PRIEST albums with Owens. Downing said at the time: “Yeah, [it’s] a little bit of a mystery, really. Obviously, I no longer have any control over those records, but I don’t think that it’s a label thing ’cause labels always like to sell records, don’t they? And, obviously, myself and Ripper, we’re still very proud of everything that we’ve done as a part of our history and legacy, and we’d very much like to see the records out there in the stores once more. So, hopefully, we’ll see that come to fruition. But the good news is that this band KK’S PRIEST will be out there playing those songs, so everyone is welcome to come down and experience those magical times that we now refer to as the ‘Ripper era’ or the ‘Ripper years.’ And, yeah, so everyone can enjoy those songs again in a live format, which, in a lot of ways, is even better. But let’s hope the records will appear at some point.”
Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when Travis was given a videotape of him performing with the PRIEST cover band BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Halford, who has since rejoined the band.
In 2019, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked in an interview with “Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon” if the unavailability of the Owens-era PRIEST albums was a rights-related issue or if it was a deliberate attempt to bury that part of PRIEST‘s past. Hill responded: “It’s an odd one, really, because there’s some good material on both of those albums. And Ripper is a terrific vocalist, and he did a tremendous job on ‘Jugulator’ and ‘Demolition’. And why they’re not for sale has got nothing to do with us — put it like that. Whether it’s a contractual thing between Sony and whoever owns the copyrights to those albums, I don’t know. But it is a shame, because there’s some good material there. And as a band, it’s still JUDAS PRIEST. I know it wasn’t the trademark lineup, but it was still JUDAS PRIEST nonetheless. So, it’s disappointing — if that’s true that the material is not available. It really is.”
A few years ago, Tim told “Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon” that he was a little miffed by the fact that fans cannot find the music that he made with PRIEST on any of the music-streaming services or other online retailers. “My issue is I would like to buy the records,” he said. “I’d like to buy some to even sell when I’m touring solo, but you can’t when they’re kind of gone. And that’s only the thing I talk about… If they were out there, I could maybe buy ’em at cost and sell ’em at my concerts. That would be kind of cool. Then I’d have my whole catalog.”
KK’S PRIEST features former JUDAS PRIEST members Downing and Owens, alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).
K.K. formed KK’S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour.
In a 2021 interview with Classic Rock magazine, Halford was asked if he has ever listened to “Demolition” and “Jugulator”. “No. I still haven’t,” he said. “This might sound selfish, but because it’s not me singing, I’m not attracted to it. I sound like a twat, but I’m really just not interested. And that’s no disrespect to Ripper, ’cause he’s a friend of mine.”
Halford went on to say that he first met Owens “when the band went through Ohio, [and Tim] came to the show. Was it awkward? Not in the least,” he said. “We gave each other a hug. He’s a massive PRIEST fan, and when the opportunity came for me to go back, he was, like, ‘Thumbs up, it’s great. I’m happy for the band, I’m happy for Rob.’ I respect his chops; he’s a great singer.”
Two decades ago, Halford explained why he was reluctant to hear “Jugulator”. “It’s just too difficult for me to listen to the band when I’m not in it, and that’s nothing to do with taking a shot at Ripper,” he said. “I just can’t listen to it. It’s just psychological. I should just put it on and listen to the fucking thing, but then if I do, [interviewers] will say, ‘Well have you heard it?’, and I’ll go, ‘Yeah’, and then you’ll go, ‘What do you think?’, and I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to be put in that situation. I just love all the things that I’ve done with the band and I’m happy to be a part of that great legacy and that’s all. You want to treat it with respect because that’s what it deserves.”
In October 2020, Halford told “The SDR Show” that he would “absolutely” be open to performing material from “Demolition” and “Jugulator” with PRIEST. “Those two albums are just as valid as everything else in the PRIEST catalog,” he explained. “So who knows? That day may yet come.”
A year earlier, Richie Faulkner said that “Hell Is Home” is one of his favorite songs from the Owens era. The PRIEST guitarist, who joined the band in 2011 as the replacement for Downing, offered his opinion during a live video chat. He said: “I was listening to the Ripper albums the other day, and ‘Hell Is Home’ is such a great track. It’s really heavy and the vocal melody is really great. I think Ripper sings it really well. It’s probably one of my favorite PRIEST songs of the Ripper era. ‘Hell Is Home’ — I really like that.”
