Expectations were high for Jugulator, the first release from Judas Priest since Rob Halford left to form Fight in 1993.
Indeed, the album debuted at an impressive number 82 on the Billboard album chart.
New singer Ripper Owens, formerly of Winter's Bane, almost lives up to the hype as a ballsy singer, but he lacks the upper octave range that made Halford's voice distinctive.
The lack of distinction is primarily what makes this album a lukewarm rehash of 1990's Painkiller.
The title song itself is merely a weak rewrite of "Painkiller," while musically the band has become derivative where once it was innovative.
This is particularly true in the case of guitarists K.K.
Downing and Glenn Tipton, who unashamedly ape the soloing style of the boys from Slayer.
Also failing to impress are the lyrics on Jugulator, which are juvenile by even the crudest standards of heavy metal (though lyrics have never been the band's ace in the hole).
Judas Priest may deserve praise for refusing to abandon heavy metal in its time of need, but that doesn't excuse this rather pedestrian affair from sounding entrenched in late-'80s thrash.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JugulatorK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 05:51 | 13 MB | 37 MB |
| 2 | Blood StainedK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 3 | Dead MeatK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 4 | Death RowK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | DecapitateK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | Burn in HellK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 06:42 | 15 MB | 42 MB |
| 7 | Brain DeadK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 8 | AbductorsK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 05:49 | 13 MB | 39 MB |
| 9 | Bullet TrainK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 05:11 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 10 | Cathedral SpiresK.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton | Judas Priest | Play | 09:17 | 21 MB | 58 MB |
| 58 mins | 133 MB | |||||
| 58 mins | 384 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | K.K. Downing | Composer |
| 2 | Judas Priest | Primary Artist |
| 3 | Glenn Tipton | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |