Richie Faulkner Likes Judas Priest’s ‘Ripper’-Era
As Judas Priest continues to look forward as they tour on the back of their newly released album Invincible Shield, one topic keeps cropping up in various interviews — what about the two Tim “Ripper” Owens albums Jugulator and Demoliton?
During a recent interview with Poland’s Eska Rock (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), guitarist Richie Faulkner looked back on that era of Judas Priest — one where he wasn’t involved with the band at all, mind you — and said he enjoys those records for what they are.
“I dig those records. Like all records, there are some tracks that you like more than others, as you go through those two records. But I could see, as a fan, I could understand what they were doing at that time. There’s some great tracks on there — ‘Hell Is Home’, ‘Machine Man’. There’s some great songs on there, ‘Cathedral Spires’ is a fan favorite. So, yeah, I dig ’em. They’re different — even down to the logo; the logo was different. I think they knew they were doing something different.”
Four years after Rob Halford left Judas Priest in 1992, Owens joined the band and remained in that spot until Halford returned in 2003. During that time, Owens recorded those two albums, as well as two live albums and a live DVD.
Looking back on those years from an outsider’s perspective, Faulkner said he’s seen public perception of Ripper’s contributions shift over time.
“I know that [those albums have] got a lot of hate over the years, but I think that time gives things new context, and I think you see a lot of love for those records as well, when you see, like on Facebook and stuff or you talk to fans. There’s a lot of love for those records, given the time it’s been out and reflection and context and stuff. So yeah, I dig ’em. I think they’re great.”
Recently, Faulkner’s predecessor K.K. Downing blasted his former bandmates for what he believes is effectively keeping those two Owens-fronted records down. Though he inaccurately said Demolition wasn’t available on streaming platforms like Spotify (it is), he lambasted the fact that Jugulator wasn’t easily accessible for fans.
“It just seems like they’ve — the desire is to want to erase those songs, which is extremely unfair, really, because it’s a part of my musical history, Tim’s musical history, and [it’s] very, very sad. Not to make those albums available to the fans is just crazy, really.
“We just did a festival at the end of last year, and we played ‘Burn In Hell’ [from Jugulator]. And I think just that one song from that one festival had about 90,000 hits [on YouTube], and considerably more than other songs that we played in the set — KK’s Priest and Judas Priest songs.”
