Former Judas Priest frontman Tim “Ripper” Owens is pulling no punches regarding the ongoing absence of his studio albums from major digital streaming platforms. In a revealing new interview, the vocalist also offered a blunt comparison between the business strategies of his former band and fellow heavy metal titans Iron Maiden.
Speaking with Gustavo Maiato of Brazil’s Whiplash.net, Tim “Ripper” Owens voiced his deep frustration over the fact that both 1997’s Jugulator and 2001’s Demolition remain completely unavailable on services like Spotify. He argued that removing this chapter of the band’s history actively prevents younger generations of heavy metal fans from discovering the material.
“Well, it’s hard to draw new fans to it when it’s [not available on Spotify]… You can find it on YouTube, I guess. Yeah, it sucks,” Owens admitted (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Despite the digital blackout, the singer noted that fans still crave the music. His solo tours and recent live performances heavily feature tracks from both controversial records, and the crowds consistently respond with massive enthusiasm.
“When I do these solo tours, I play Jugulator and Demolition songs, and they go over better than anything,” Owens continued. “When we played [shows with] KK’s Priest, when we did ‘Burn In Hell’, that song went over as good as anything.”
According to Owens, the decision to keep the albums off modern streaming platforms is a deliberate choice made entirely by the Judas Priest camp.
“Judas Priest decided — their decision, no one else’s — to erase the records. That’s their decision. You know what? That’s okay, but if people do wanna hear the songs live, they can come to my solo shows. I play ‘Jugulator’ and a lot of songs solo,” he explained.
“It makes no sense to not have them available to fans. [Priest] put [Jugulator and Demolition] in their [recently released] box set that was [available for purchase for] $500. If someone wants to get Jugulator — I mean, come on. That proves that they do have access to put it out, ’cause they put it in that box set. But that’s their decision, and that’s fine.”
Reflecting on the motivations behind hiding the albums, he speculated that the band might feel uncomfortable acknowledging that specific era.
“I don’t wanna hurt anybody’s feelings,” he added. “I guess they’re upset by it, and they don’t like the idea of it being out there. I guess there’s ‘wokeness’ in metal as well, isn’t there? So I guess that’s just how it is. But it leaves it open for me to do. They don’t wanna play it, they don’t wanna acknowledge it? I will. It makes it probably more enjoyable that [the fans] get to hear it at my shows.”
Even with the apparent friction surrounding his musical legacy, Owens made it clear that he still treasures his time in the group and maintains a strong bond with several former members, specifically highlighting his enduring friendship with former guitarist K.K. Downing.
“Fantastic guys, just amazing guys. And I had the time of my life,” Tim continued. “I always say Judas Priest was my college. That was like going to college, being in Judas Priest, and they opened the doors up for me and I took advantage of it. [I’m] friends with them still. Obviously I’m friends with K.K. I stayed closer to K.K. than anybody. Whenever I would play solo within two hours [of his house], he would drive two hours every time I played solo, and if I played Manchester, Ken would always come to the shows and bring a couple of cases of beer to the band and hang out. But they’re all great guys, and I was treated fantastic, and I had the time of my life with them. It was great. Except now they ignore me, but other than that. Now they erased my… It was great when I was in the band; now I’m just erased. But they can’t erase the fun I had, that’s the whole thing.”
During the interview, the topic shifted to how Iron Maiden continues to honor former vocalist Blaze Bayley by occasionally including his songs into their modern live sets. When Gustavo Maiato pointed out that Judas Priest singer Rob Halford rarely performs material from the Owens era, the vocalist quickly corrected him.
“You just said Rob Halford ‘rarely performs’ it. Rob Halford‘s never performed [Priest songs from my era of the band]. But no, [I] absolutely [think there are songs he would sound great on]. Could you imagine how great Rob Halford would sound singing ‘Burn In Hell’? It would be better than my version. He would sound… It’s so great for him, he would sound fantastic. Now, I’d like to see him try ‘Jugulator’, but I don’t think that would happen. But, yeah, they would sound fantastic.”
Owens then expanded his critique, directly comparing the long-term management strategies of both legendary bands. He pointed out that their differing business decisions have directly impacted their respective audience sizes and historical legacies.
“But there’s a difference of bands you’re talking about,” Tim explained. “You’re talking about Iron Maiden, who has great management. They do great business moves. They’re up here [at a higher level than Priest when it comes to their live draw]. Judas Priest, yeah… This is a band that announced they were going to one guitar player [for their live shows] years ago [only to quickly change their minds]. I mean, how the f**k does Judas Priest go to one guitar player? So you’re talking about Iron Maiden with great management, great marketing, a great team. They go into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. They demand that Blaze Bayley goes into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame [with the other current and former members of the band].
He concluded by citing the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction as the ultimate proof of how each group treats its alumni.
“Judas Priest goes into the Rock And Hall Hall Of Fame, and Judas Priest is pretty much, ‘Absolutely not, Ripper‘s not going in.’ So [Iron Maiden] have great management, and there’s a reason why they play in front of 20,000 people and the other one [Judas Priest] plays in front of five. That’s the difference. So there’s your answer of why Iron Maiden, which is a little more class act, plays Blaze Bayley‘s songs, ’cause they wrote ’em, they did it. Why would they not?” he concluded.
Tim “Ripper” Owens stepped in to front Judas Priest from 1996 to 2003, tracking two studio records and a pair of live albums before Rob Halford made his return. While those releases remain largely buried by the current iteration of the group, fans can still hear the material performed live during his ongoing solo tours and stage appearances with KK’s Priest.
