Jugulator

***Jugulator*** is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was released in Japan on 16 October 1997 and the rest of the world on 28 October 1997. It was their first studio album since _Painkiller_ in 1990. It's one of only two albums by the band with Tim "Ripper" Owens on lead vocals. _Jugulator_ is the only Judas Priest album that has never been released on any major digital media website. This is due to SPV/Steamhammer  going bankrupt in 2009.

## Musical style and lyrics

The band's guitars were tuned down as low as C# and C. Musically, the album has more of a thrash metal-oriented sound.  It retains the speed and heaviness of the band's previous album Painkiller. However, it was also influenced by the groove metal of Pantera and other bands popular at the time.

The lyrics on _Jugulator_ are darker than the band's previous albums. "Cathedral Spires", for example, is about the end of the world. "Brain Dead" is written from the perspective of a man who, after a tragedy, has lost the ability to move and speak. Therefore he's trapped in his mind, and placed on life support.

## Reception

Critical reaction to _Jugulator_ has been mixed. Some liked the music but would prefer if Halford had sung it, while some disliked it on all counts. Glenn Tipton defended the musical changes: "You must remember that two albums went missing between 1990 and _Jugulator_. To us, it's not the huge leap some people see it as." Tim "Ripper" Owens opines that _Jugulator_ is a better album than 2008's _Nostradamus_.

"Some people felt there wasn't enough melody on _Jugulator_," remarked Tipton, "but we just weren't feeling very melodic at the time."

In 2018, Owens pledged to re-record this album and its follow-up _Demolition_. He he feels that his era of the band has "been erased". Ever since Rob Halford rejoined the band, songs from both albums have been left off the band's concert setlists,. Halford stated he is not opposed to performing the songs live though.

## Promotion

A music video was shot for the song "Burn in Hell". Over two minutes of the song was removed in the final video. "Jugulator" and "Blood Stained" were included on Judas Priest's box set _Metalogy_.

## Awards and nominations

"Bullet Train" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1999.

## Personnel

**Judas Priest**
- Tim "Ripper" Owens – vocals
- K. K. Downing – guitars
- Glenn Tipton – guitars
- Ian Hill – bass
- Scott Travis – drums

**Production**
- Glenn Tipton – producer
- K. K. Downing – producer
- Sean Lynch – producer
- Recorded and mixed at Silvermere Studios
- Mastered at Whitfield Street Studios
- Mark Wilkinson – cover illustration
- Andie Airfix at Satori – design
- Ross Halfin – photography

## Charts

|Chart (1997)|Peak position|
| --- | --- |
|align="center"|9|
|align="center"|20|

## Infobox (album)

- **name**: Jugulator
- **type**: studio
- **artist**: Judas Priest
- **recorded**: 1996–1997
- **studio**: Silvermere, Surrey, England
- **genre**: *Heavy metal music, Heavy metal
*groove metal
*thrash metal
- **length**: 58:06
- **label**: SPV GmbH, SPV/Steamhammer
- **producer**: Glenn Tipton
- **prev title**: Painkiller (Judas Priest album), Painkiller
- **prev year**: 1990
- **next title**: The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight
- **next year**: 1997