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.

Track listing

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) PeakpositionJapanese Albums (Oricon) 9 Spanish Albums (AFYVE) 20

References

Category:1997 albums
Category:Judas Priest albums
Category:SPV/Steamhammer albums
Category:1990s concept albums
Category:Heavy metal albums
Category:Groove metal albums
Category:Thrash metal albums