Is Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens heading out to the highway on a high-pitched note?

Judas Priest most recent CD release, April 8, 2003, Live In London was originally recorded December 19, 2001 and released on VHS and DVD in 2002. This is the second live CD released in the Rippers Owens vocals period and contains 25 tracks spanning nearly 30 years of material.

If you haven’t heard yet, Rob Halford, the ear-piercing, original vocalist, has officially reuinted with Judas Priest! Quoted from their site: Several exciting projects, in addition to the 2004 world tour, are in the early planning stages. Great news for those who felt that Priest wasn’t Priest without Halford, sort of like those who felt Black Sabbath sans Ozzy was never the same. However one could argue that Ripper Owens stood in admirably for Halford even if they never had a huge hit song or CD during his tenure.

I first experienced Priest on the Defender of the Faith tour and they are one band who does not disappoint live and this CD brings out some of that familiar energy and excitement. They are also one of those bands that sounds eerily as good live, maybe better, than in the studio. When Halford left the band, I thought they were finished; I mean who would have ever thought anybody else could hit those ridiculously high notes? But then along comes Ripper Owens! His inspiring story is told in the CD insert: he was playing in a Judas Priest tribute band when someone sent the real Priest a tape. They apparently flew in Owens for an audition and halfway through singing Victim of Changes they halted the song and offered him the job.

Live In London is a two-disc set that leans heavy into Priest’s older stuff playing a lot of songs from British Steel: Metal Gods, Grinder, Breaking the Law, United (first live recording?), Living after Midnight — which is good, because I think British Steel was their best studio release to date (although Screaming for Vengeance and others enjoyed more commercial and radio airplay success). Live in London also manages to blend in solid versions of post-Vengeance/Defender Priest which many fans say was when things started to go downhill for them musically with Touch of Evil and Turbo Lover. They even mixed in a little more brutal fanfare with Painkiller.

Personally, I didn’t care too much for Priest’s most recent studio release: Demolition, where I felt that they tried to do too much with Ripper’s vocals and making for a different and unique sound. What makes bands think that fans want to hear something different musically after 25+ years? Priest excels when they are jamming heavy, two-guitar melodies played an octave apart like Victim of Changes, not when they are trying to play experimental, Metallica-esq songs (and since Metallica came after them, it seems odd to make this comparison). With that in mind, if you still enjoyed Demolition, then you will also enjoy the only available live versions of these songs on this CD to date: Feed On Me, One on One and Hell is Home. 

Point of Entry fans will get their fix with Live in London because there are compelling versions of Heading out to the Highway and Desert Plains. Also satisfying are classics like Victim of Changes, Green Manalishi (with the two pronged crown), Running Wild, Hell Bent for Leather, Hellion/Electric Eye, You Got Another Thing Comin (of course!), The Sentinel, and the “what’s my name?” song: Ripper. in for sur-prise … you’re in for a sho-OCK! 

The one thing that Halford is going to have a difficult time bringing back to Priest is Tim Owens obvious deep admiration and passion for the band which can be heard and felt in his amazingly similar vocals. He parted with the band on good terms it seems, so if Halford has another change of heart after their 30 year reunion, we may not have heard the last of Tim Owens.

My only complaint, and it’s a big one, is that we’ve already heard the melancholy Beyond the Realms of Death, the semi-acoustic mellow-to-metal version of Diamonds and Rust and too many other songs sung by Ripper and backed by the band on their previously released live CD ’98 Meltdown. In fact, if you compare these two live CDs you’ll find that both contain *18* of the same songs. And if you listen to both they are all too similar versions as well. Therefore, if you already own ‘98 Meltdown, you didn’t like Demolition and you aren’t sentimental to possessing/collecting possibly Ripper Owens’ Priest swan song, then you have very little reason to buy this CD.

In summary, Live in London is as familiar and somewhat predictable as the signature Priest Harley riding in for a whipping encore performance of Hell Bent for Leather. It isn’t quite the same caliber as Unleashed in The East or even the later Priest Live, but it shouldn’t taint Ripper Owens resume nor leave heavy metal Priest fans screaming for vengeance. Priest, we’ll see you on tour in 2004! Grade B-

Related Judas Priest CD:
Screaming for Vengeance
Point of Entry
British Steel

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