Jugulator

Jugulator is a restart on which Judas Priest pushes lower, heavier guitar and intense aggression to the front. After Rob Halford’s departure, the band, newly welcoming Tim “Ripper” Owens, pursues a powerful roar and a straight, heavy drive in a direction different from its former brilliant high register. A record strongly reflecting the heavy mood of the 1990s. Thick, down-tuned riffs suggesting the influence of groove metal and modern heaviness dominate the whole. The songs are dark and hard-edged, yet an unmistakably Judas Priest sense of construction breathes in the deft placement of the riffs and the dramatic song structures. Owens’s astonishing range and expressive power powerfully drive the new-era band. Its significance lies in how, amid what could be called the greatest crisis of a flagship vocalist’s change, the band boldly updated its own sound to suit the times. Different from the style of old, its heavy, aggressive sound holds sure conviction. Inscribing a somewhat experimental, challenging side of Judas Priest, it is a powerful transitional work.