Jugulator

For the mammal genus, see Jugulator (mammal).
Jugulator
Studio album by
Judas Priest
Released16 October 1997 (1997-10-16)
Recorded1996–1997
StudioSilvermere, Surrey, England
Genre
Length58:06
LabelSPV/Steamhammer
ProducerGlenn Tipton
Judas Priest chronology
Painkiller
(1990) 		Jugulator
(1997) 		The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight
(1997)
Singles from Jugulator
  1. "Bullet Train"
    Released: 28 March 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2/5 stars[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal5/10[3]
Kerrang!2/5 stars[4]

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.[5][6] Musically, the album has more of a thrash metal-oriented sound.[1] 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."[7] Tim "Ripper" Owens opines that Jugulator is a better album than 2008's Nostradamus.[8]

"Some people felt there wasn't enough melody on Jugulator," remarked Tipton, "but we just weren't feeling very melodic at the time."[9]

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".[10] 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.[11]

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

All lyrics written by Glenn Tipton, all music composed by Tipton and K. K. Downing.

No. Title Length
1. "Jugulator"   5:50
2. "Blood Stained"   5:26
3. "Dead Meat"   4:44
4. "Death Row"   5:04
5. "Decapitate"   4:39
6. "Burn in Hell"   6:42
7. "Brain Dead"   5:24
8. "Abductors"   5:49
9. "Bullet Train"   5:11
10. "Cathedral Spires"   9:17
Total length:
 58:06

Personnel

Judas Priest

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) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 34
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13] 87
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 24
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 9
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16] 9
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[17] 20
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 43
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[20] 32
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[21] 14
US Billboard 200[22] 82

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Jugulator review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Judas Priest-A-Thon: Jugulator Review". 8 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 219. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  4. ↑ Shiels, Liam (October 25, 1997). "Albums". Kerrang!. No. 671. UK: EMAP. pp. 46–47.
  5. ↑ "Judas Priest – Jugulator (Guitar Pro)" – via tabs.ultimate-guitar.com.
  6. ↑ "Judas Priest – Cathedral Spires (Guitar Pro)" – via tabs.ultimate-guitar.com.
  7. ↑ "K. K. Downing Steel Mill :: Keep Feeding the Flames!". Kkdowning.net. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Ex-JUDAS PRIEST Singer Tim 'Ripper' Owens Says Jugulator Is Better Than Nostradamus". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "The big picture: Demolition derby". Classic Rock #28. June 2001. p. 13.
  10. ↑ "Tim 'Ripper' Owens Says His Time With Judas Priest Has Been 'Erased' From Band's Past, Vows to Re-Record Both Albums". Blabbermouth.net. 11 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "Rob Halford Open to Singing 'Ripper' Owens Era Judas Priest Songs". Loudwire. 30 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Judas Priest – Jugulator" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3387". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Judas Priest: Jugulator" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Judas Priest – Jugulator" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  16. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  17. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Judas Priest – Jugulator". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  19. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Judas Priest – Jugulator". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  20. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  21. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  22. ↑ "Judas Priest Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 June 2023.