Former Judas Priest singer Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens recently opened up about the turbulent era he experienced with the band. He shared his thoughts in an interview with Radio Futuro.
Owens reflected on joining Judas Priest during one of heavy metal’s most difficult periods — when grunge had overtaken the mainstream following Nirvana’s Nevermind. He explained why he believes Rob Halford’s return was a pivotal moment for the genre’s revival.
“Yeah, it was a hard time, wasn’t it? It was a hard time. I couldn’t have joined Judas Priest at a worse time [for] heavy metal, could I? I mean, it was just so bad,” Owens said.
He went on to describe how the tide began to turn just as his time with the band was coming to an end.
“But it came back right in the time that I left Judas Priest, that Rob came back, metal started coming back with these big tours again. And it was great. You know what? Judas Priest needed Rob back at that time. I think that probably was a big help of bringing heavy metal back, was [Iron] Maiden getting Bruce [Dickinson] back and Priest getting Rob back. I think it gave it a little resurgence. But I was in [Priest during] a terrible time of heavy metal,” he continued.
Despite the challenging climate, Owens defended the significance of the music he made with the band during that period.
“But I think that that record [‘Jugulator’] was important because we still made a heavy metal record. And Judas Priest, every record’s a little bit different. I think now they make kind of normal heavy metal records. They don’t really experiment too much anymore. But they used to experiment, and that’s what made me fall in love with Judas Priest. But, yeah, I think it was important,” he added.
Owens’ comments offer a candid look back at one of the more overlooked chapters in Judas Priest’s history. They shed light on both the struggles of that era and the broader forces that helped bring heavy metal back into the spotlight.
Owens joined Judas Priest in 1996 under unusual circumstances. Priest drummer Scott Travis was handed a videotape of Owens performing with a Judas Priest cover band called British Steel. That recording was enough to land him the job. It remains one of the more remarkable origin stories in rock history.
During his seven years with the band, Owens recorded two studio albums — 1997’s Jugulator and 2001’s Demolition — before the group eventually reunited with Rob Halford. Both records were made during a period when heavy metal had been largely pushed out of the mainstream. Their release was a statement of defiance as much as anything else.
His story proved compelling enough to inspire a Hollywood film. The 2001 Warner Bros. movie Rock Star, starring Mark Wahlberg, was loosely based on Owens’ real-life journey from fronting a cover band to stepping into the shoes of his musical heroes. The film brought wider attention to a chapter of Priest’s history that the band itself has largely moved on from.
Owens has spoken candidly in the past about feeling that his contributions have been minimized. He noted that Judas Priest had “kind of erased” his time with the band. That sentiment adds a layer of complexity to his otherwise gracious remarks about Halford’s return and its impact on the genre.
