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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why do some people hate this album?, October 5, 2003
If the tone of my review seems a bit defensive, it's because I've read the bad reviews for this puppy, and I'm kinda fed up with it. I fail to see why anyone would dislike this album, though I respectfully Disagree. In 1992 Original vocalist Rob Halford had a bitter falling out with the band and departed Judas Priest. Conventional Wisdom, which I believed, was that the band was Kaput without him. How do you replace a Legend? Well the answer to that is you can't. But that's not what they were trying to do. With a different singer the band was to explore new musical territory. Ripper Owens came to the bands attention because he was a frontman for a Judas Priest tribute band, British Steel. At a Concert in Western Pennsylvania the girlfriend of Current Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis was in attendance. She was so impressed that she told Scott and the rest of the band. They're reaction to Ripper Owens was identical. They immediately invited Ripper to England for a tryout, and he nailed it on the spot, Thus completing one of the most Fairytale stories in Rock History. The first album Judas Priest released with Ripper was "Jugulator". Their Heaviest album to date. But a minority of fans refused to accept the fact that someone else is singing for Priest and not Rob Halford. And they're entitled to their opinion. Although some of these fans (Not All) tell me that it was more the music itself that they didn't like and not the vocalist. Though something tells me if Hypothetically Halford sang these tunes Some of them (Not All) would be impressed...Go figure. This scenario has happened to many other great bands like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, And Van Halen. While a few tunes on "Demolition" pick up where it's preceding album "Jugulator" left off, others are more varied in terms of sound. The band explores slower, more acoustic material as well as ballad fare magnifecently.
With a greater concern for melody as well. Also worthy of mention is the sound of the guitars. Axemen K.K Downing and Glenn Tipton are legends in the world of Rock. They didn't wanna rehash what had been done before, so a possibility was for them to broaden their horizons and throw us a curveball. And they did just that. The Two experimented radically, infusing modern effects and computerized distortion into their arsenal. Admittedly if you're a fan of Vintage Judas Priest like "You've got another thing coming" and have trouble accepting change, this album will be difficult to listen to. But speaking for myself, as a fan of every Judas Priest-Era, the new Guitar sounds are so fresh it's amazing. Excitable to some degree, because from listening to these songs, if you didn't know these guys (The tandem of Glenn Tipton and K.K Downing) were veterans in their 50's, you'd think they were an up-and-coming band of 20-Something year olds! The Afforementioned Ripper Owens doesn't disappoint on the vocal front. There's only a few slight separating traits between him and Rob Halford. First, if you already know this, forgive me, Ripper Owens hails from Akron, Ohio. So he doesn't have a noticeable British Accent like the Birmingham-Born Halford. Also, Ripper doesn't employ a semi-snarl wailing that Rob did. And finally, Listening to this record, I couldn't picture Rob singing over this music, because it's such a departure from the bands older sound, and also, during Very Heavy moments Rob doesn't Growl, whereas Tim does like a PitBull. The Production effort on this album was handled by Glenn Tipton, with assistive work by Sean Lynch. I would rate the resulting "Production" sound from the Studio to be very good, because I can finally hear Ian Hill's engaging bass lines, which on past efforts were buried so deep into the mix. If there's one problem I do have thougfh, it's Scott TRavis' Snare Drum isn't as loud as I'd like it to be, I reference albums like AC/DC's "Fly On The Wall" and Aerosmith's "Permanent Vacation" as a Good, loud Snare sound. Otherwise, Scott is a decent drummer, he uses current day double bass drum tricks, though I still prefer their previous drummer, (the guy Scott replaced) Dave Holland. The final recording was mastered by Jon Astley at Close To The Edge. I recall him doing an excellent job on The Who's "Ultimate Collection" album. Ironically enough, Judas Priest and The Who have the same manager. I think the front cover is fantastic, the new Judas Priest logo plus reD + Black colors. It grabs my attention. Luckily enough the cover is pretty basic, so the "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics" label doesn't block out any of the artwork. The Liner Notes are good, a List of Thank You's is nowhere to be found, but there's a great photo of the band, production info, songwriting credits, and lyrics for every last song. And speaking of the lyrics, I'll come to the defense of Ian Hill, Scott Travis, K.K Downing and Glenn Tipton. ANYBODY At their age's best material would've been written years before. They are like aged Marathoners: past their prime and no longer winning medals, perhaps, but still in full stride and extremely Proficient. In my opinion they write great stuff. At first listen, these songs weren't so great, but they grew on me drastically with each listen. On "Machine Man" the verses are about the Race of Life. They'res lines like "...Renegades" and "Fell no Mercy as I cross the Line/Watch the Suckers self destruct with time". The Song Title is fitting because at first the Riffs are smooth flowing, and they then mimic a Machine Gun firing! This process repeats. "One On One" showcases the new Guitar noises of Tipton and Downing which I mentioned earlier. As for Ripper, he singsa his lines in Saddistic fashion: "I am your final Hour/I am your fall from Power "Hell is Home" utilizes the Acoustic/Electric shift. The Chorus reeled me in, the band collaborate on vocal harmonies. "Jeckyll And Hyde" is reminiscent of that story because some portions are just spoken word and keyboards, then soon enough the Guitars kick in. The Chorus goes: "Oh it's killing me/You're Un-Pre-Dic-Ta-Bi-Li-TY", that line being akin to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. After the first chorus Ripper starts singing in a way similar to the late great Layne Staley of Alice In Chains. Repeated Growls and a Menacing riff cap things off. The overall feel of "Close To You" is very sad, And so are the lyrics. I was intrigued by, in the opening minute, how there's a keyboard line that ascends (Climbs). "Devil Digger" is a little simpler, which isn't a bad thing. The song is carried by the JackKnife distortion. And at first glance of the Back Cover, I thought with a song name like "Devil Digger" the lyrics must be horrible. They were much better than I imagined, very thoughtful. Themes of no one wanting to get old, and there being no desire to fade away. This line was also enjoyable: "Layed his hands upon my brow/That was the last of me/Devil/Digger/Un-For/Giver!". The following track is "Blood Suckers". Ian Hill plays an exceptionally good bass line on this song. The main lyrics don't pertain to Blood Suckers at all, only on the chorus is that the case. The Bridge is erry, with haunting backrounsd vocals, church choir style, and a synthesized breeze of wind. "In Between' hass a Grunge element to it, and "Feed On Me" stands out somewhat because the word "Dancefloor" is sung a few times. As a Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, And Gangsta Rap fan, that's the last place you'd ever find me! Judas Priest deserve credit though cuz besides AC/DC I can't think of many Hard Rock/Metal bands would put that word in one of their songs. Just because most of your fans don't dance, (which is Great :) ) doesn't you're barred from using words pertainig to the activity. "Subterfuge" is a great tune. It also expanded my vocabulary and made me grab the dictionary off the shelf. In America we don't use that term very often. On the Chorus Ripper Barks and Growls the way a Rottweiler does. The only quite part is a two note tandem of Chords which are in similar pitch. The Furious, Aggressive Riff, ast times lets up ever so slightly to sound like plastic beads rubbing, for lack of a good comparision, and an Ivy League vocabulary ;). "Lost And Found" strays a bit from the Rock your socks off formula. It's a beautiful ballad that tugs at my heart. Yep I have a weak spot for 'em. And Unlike Latter day Aerosmith, it doesn't come off as sappy. The Acoustic guitar is present throughout, On occasion the electric will show up more in the background. The whole band chants on the chorus. Ripper sings with so much passion and emotion, words can't describe. The band would downplay a song like this because it's so Un-Priest Like. I.E They wouldn't released as a single. You can kinda guess what Cyberface is about. There's Computer metaphors abound; "Don't access the Site/Or Beware His Megabyte". Kinda clever "Metal Messiah" could very well rank alongside Classic Priest closers, Ripper starts Rapping for a few lines, which I think is kinda cool. You're reaction, will of course vary depending on what your feelings are towards Rap. Afterwards, the pace breaks out into a Gallop which recalls Iron Maiden's material. I heard a few months back that Halford was returning to Judas Priest. The news was No big Surprise to me. Truth be known Halford himself has gone on record saying he approved of Ripper Owens, and he'd sing his tunes on tour. Owens was recruited by Iced Earth. Here's good luck to all camps involved. In their 28th Year and 4th Decade, These legends show no signs of Rust on "Demolition" with Ripper Owens. Give this album a Shot.
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is Judas Priest's 
