Label: SPV/Steamhammer
Release date: October 16, 1997
Production: Glenn Tipton
Album length: 58.13 min
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 8.0/10
I was genuinely shocked and totally devastated the first time I heard this record back in 1997. Over the years I’ve apparently learned to listen to even the more extreme stuff in metal with some love, which is why this review finally makes sense coming from me. I can now look at “Jugulator” without the frustration of “Boohoo, Halford’s gone!”
Seven years after “Painkiller” (1990), Judas Priest struck back more extreme and aggressive than ever. Next to the brutality of the new record, “Painkiller” is an innocent little sparrow. The word “extreme” is usually reserved for death or black metal and the hybrids in between, but in Judas Priest’s case, considering what they were and what they became with Jugulator, it’s certainly an apt term. Halford is gone. The band brought in Canadian Tim “Ripper” Owens, who flattens Halford in every single passage with sheer power. Ripper doesn’t have as recognizable a voice as Rob Halford, nor is he as charismatic a figure as Rob was, but the guy fearlessly shook off the shadow of the famous legacy his predecessor left behind. Tim stepped up to “Jugulator” without a shred of imitation or reverence for Halford and sang it all completely his own way. Extreme, just as Judas Priest demanded of him.
If “Painkiller” served up a few detours into half-step aggression, “Jugulator” is packed with them, with Priest biting down like frenzied pit bulls. If your head doesn’t get blown off over the course of this hour-long record, you’ll still end up slumped in your armchair, completely drained and exhausted by the endless hail of kicks and punches.
We can easily slap the label “progressive” on the title track. It’s well known that Judas Priest have always loved to experiment freely, and this time was no different. The title track contains some of the most intricate rhythm-section passages, massive, scorching riffing that keeps shedding its skin from motif to motif, and phenomenal acrobatics from Ripper, who makes it clear he’s stronger than Halford, especially in the mid and lower registers, while his razor-sharp clean screams immediately announce that he can do whatever he wants with his voice. Tim’s aggressive mid-range vocals especially crank up the dark, gloomy atmosphere served through the half-step guitar riffing, creating an incredible vibe in the songs across the whole record.
Bloodstained has a fantastic, classically crafted main guitar riff. Together with tracks of a similar caliber like Burn In Hell, Bullet Train, Death Row and Dead Meat, it’s one of many impressive moments of K.K. and Glenn’s insane guitar shredding. These tracks are all devilishly wound up, grooving hard, spewing fire with everything they’ve got, and they carry thrilling contrasts between terrorizingly brutalized noise and whatever melody is left. But the new punch Judas Priest achieved is the most devastating moment in the band’s history. The incredible contrast in these songs is caught between the torpedoing double bass pedals and the sharp, chopping guitars. Tim keeps adapting his vocals throughout with a varied toolbox of his specialties. These tracks are moments of explosion and total, uncompromising detonation. Interestingly, for the first time in years, the guitar duels somehow lose their primacy in the band’s expression. Everything revolves around red-hot riffing, and the expressiveness of the guitar solos is also toned down by Ripper and all his rawness, which he uses to flood the listener so convincingly.
There are a few songs with a more dramatic, atmospheric outline too. The first is Abductors, where Ripper shines with sudden jumps between the most arrogant, angry lower registers and totally clean, ultrasonic screams. One of those songs where Ripper’s sense of drama really stands out is Brain Dead. The epic peak and the atmospheric high point of the record, though, is without a doubt Cathedral Spires, where a multi-voice choir joins the guy in the chorus, with Tim’s main line working beautifully against it. It’s the longest song Judas Priest have ever written, clocking in at a good 9 minutes. Cathedral Spires is also the song where Judas Priest offered the most melody on the record, and it will surely win over the “Halford era” fans more than any other. I can’t skip Decapitate either, which translates quite charmingly as “to remove the head.” It’s the slowest song, with a rolling rhythm, heavy blows landed across the drum fortress, and, once again, riffing that’s packed to the brim with groove. The song has great sonic depth and fullness, with an interesting palette of vocal harmonies deliberately warped through sound effects that really bring a creepy feel to the song. “You’ve lost your head sir!? Well, you will tomorrow!” A banger full of “scary” guitar licks — in short, a really interesting creation from the band’s pen.
Judas Priest scored their goal. The result is, once again, a record of perfectly unique dimensions, one only the band itself could repeat. The lyrics are full of anger, pain, and disillusionment with the life of the little guy, who lives a present wrapped in the spell of surveillance and control. There isn’t even a tiny spark of light to be found, in the music or in the lyrics. The record is a total assault of cruel reality. The aggressive half-step guitar incineration that hits you right between the eyes, Ripper Owens’ confident and versatile singing, which is far more aggressive than Halford’s, and Scott Travis’ excellent drumming, which has even “grown” since “Painkiller”, all fit together fantastically. Just like always. Utterly convincing. Every element amplifies the others. Be devastating, hard-hitting, the loudest — everything on “Jugulator” is wound up and pushed to its extreme limits. Always on their own path. With “Jugulator,” Judas Priest drew new fans to their side, especially from among thrash metal lovers, while the diehard defenders of the classic era with Rob Halford left them behind. But that last part is nonsense. “Jugulator” is a fantastic record that shines with all its sincere heart, full of purpose. Judas Priest did once again what they’ve done throughout their career. From record to record they’ve cranked up their noise, and “Jugulator” is the band’s angriest and most aggressive record since “Painkiller”. Just one in a long line of the band’s many faces.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
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
Lineup:
Tim “Ripper” Owens – vocals
Glenn Tipton – guitar
K.K. Downing – guitar
Ian Hill – bass
Scott Travis – drums
