Former Judas Priest vocalist Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens addressed the ongoing absence of his two studio albums with the band from major streaming platforms.
Owens spoke about the unavailability of Jugulator and Demolition on services like Spotify. He expressed frustration over what he described as a deliberate decision by Judas Priest to erase his era from the band’s history.
“Well, it’s hard to draw new fans to it when it’s not available on Spotify,” Owens said. “You can find it on YouTube, I guess. Yeah, it sucks that they are not available on major streaming services.”
He went on to note that the songs still resonate strongly with live audiences. He pointed to his solo performances as proof of their enduring appeal.
“When I do these solo tours, I play ‘Jugulator’ and ‘Demolition’ songs, and they go over better than anything,” he continued. “When we played shows with KK’s Priest, when we did ‘Burn In Hell’, that song went over as good as anything.”
Owens then addressed what he sees as a contradiction in Priest’s handling of the material. He noted that the albums were included in a recently released $500 box set.
“Judas Priest decided — their decision, no one else’s — to erase the records. That’s their decision. You know what? That’s okay, but if people do wanna hear the songs live, they can come to my solo shows. I play ‘Jugulator’ and a lot of songs solo.”
“It makes no sense to not have them available to fans,” he added. “Priest put ‘Jugulator’ and ‘Demolition’ in their recently released box set that was available for purchase for $500. If someone wants to get ‘Jugulator’ — I mean, come on. That proves that they do have access to put it out, ’cause they put it in that box set. But that’s their decision, and that’s fine.”
Owens closed his remarks with a pointed observation. He suggested the band’s reluctance to acknowledge the era carries a broader cultural undertone.
“I don’t wanna hurt anybody’s feelings. I guess they’re upset by it, and they don’t like the idea of it being out there. I guess there’s ‘wokeness’ in metal as well, isn’t there? So I guess that’s just how it is. But it leaves it open for me to do. They don’t wanna play it, they don’t wanna acknowledge it? I will. It makes it probably more enjoyable that the fans get to hear it at my shows.”
The controversy surrounding the two albums has intensified in recent weeks. It coincides with Judas Priest’s own renewed activity in the marketplace, raising fresh questions about how the band chooses to manage its legacy.
As of June 2026, both Jugulator and Demolition remain absent from Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. There is no indication from the band that a digital release is forthcoming. The situation stands in stark contrast to the rest of Priest’s catalog, which is widely available across all major platforms. Owens has been unambiguous in placing responsibility for this directly on the band. He stated that the decision was made by Judas Priest alone — not by a record label or management.
The box set at the center of Owens’ argument is The Best of Judas Priest, a career-spanning collection released via Sony Music on June 19, 2026. It is available in vinyl, picture disc, and CD formats. The set was priced at $500 and included 13 unreleased discs alongside material from across the band’s history, including tracks from the Ripper Owens era. For Owens, the inclusion of Jugulator and Demolition material in that release is direct evidence that the band holds the rights and the technical means to make the albums available digitally. Their continued absence from streaming is therefore a matter of choice rather than circumstance.
Guitarist Richie Faulkner confirmed in June 2026 that the band is planning to record a new studio album. Judas Priest remains an active and commercially engaged entity. That context makes the deliberate exclusion of the Owens-era albums from streaming all the more conspicuous to fans and observers who have followed the debate.
Owens has turned the situation into an opportunity rather than a grievance. He continues to perform songs from both albums on his solo tours, where audience response has been consistently strong. His work with KK’s Priest has further kept the material alive, with “Burn In Hell” proving to be a live highlight. In the absence of any official digital release, Owens’ live shows have effectively become the only mainstream venue where fans can experience that chapter of Judas Priest’s history in a concert setting.
