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CREDITS |
TIMELINE |
TOUR |
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Band Members • Album • Singles • Artwork • Promo Videos • Lyrics/Leads |
March 1999 • April 1999 • January 2000 • March 2000 • April 2000 • July 2000 • August 2000 • July 2001 • September 2001 |
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DEMOLITION
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"We have been playing
heavy metal for a very long time, and even on our early releases we never used
the same sounds. Just remember TURBO with
its distinctive synthesised guitar sound. That was new at the time, not only for
us but for the whole scene. We also like to keep experimenting with new
equipment, which I consider an essential evolution. You have to try out new
things as a musician. Our current album is once again full to the brim with
surprising riffs, lead breaks, melodies, and it’s certain to impress people." "We survived because we never
became a fad. We had been going for 15 years by the mid '80s. We had a decent fan base. When metal
became fad-oriented, we were definitely part of that, but we never relied on
that... We've always liked to take a step forward with the band and never let the
music fall into formula. I think the closest we came to it becoming formulated
was when we followed SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE with DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH..." |
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Just as on PAINKILLER, Don Airey provides keyboards, but is not credited on the album
Management: Bill Curbishley (Trinifold Management Limited) |
Produced and arranged by Glenn Tipton
Chart position:
Billboard 200 (USA) #165;
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Front Cover and Booklet Design: L-Space Design In early 2000, Priest solicited suggestions from the fans on their website for an album title and design, but ultimately, it would be Priest's wild shows that would lead them to the title of DEMOLITION:
Mark Wilkinson and David Axtell's L-Space Design company once again did the artwork for DEMOLITION, which was simply a dripping blood stain splattered across a black background and a beveled liquid metal title with a clever "O" formed between the M and L. The logo and cross were also streamlined a bit as well for a sharper and cleaner look. |
Director: Aubrey Powell This black and white promo was filmed during rehearsal at London's Brixton Academy on December 19, 2001. The final promo uses audio from the studio album. This song was chosen because the label felt that a ballad would have more impact as a promo tool in America at the time.
This promo video can also be found on the LIVE IN LONDON DVD, 2001 SPV/Steamhammer (Cat. # SPV 554-74267) in the bonus rehearsal. The broadcast version replaces the audio with the studio album soundtrack and was only released to industry insiders as a broadcast promo in 2002 by SPV (EUR Cat. # LCNR 09002) |
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MARCH 1999: Priest
leave CMC Records Having proven Ripper's capabilities to the world on both the new and the old songs with LIVE MELTDOWN, Judas Priest were riding high and making preparations for a new studio album. Things remained strong for them with their European label, SPV, but their main label, CMC International, did not have the muscle needed to properly promote the band and get them noticed in the bigger American and Japanese markets. At the start of 1999, Judas Priest remained silent on the matter of their label, but were quietly negotiating a major-label deal; then in March, a publicist for CMC International announced that Judas Priest were no longer signed to their label:
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APRIL 1999: Ozzfest... Immediate plans for Judas Priest were to secure a major deal and be headliners for the second stage at Ozzfest '99. Work on the new album also continued. Then suddenly, Priest announced they had to back out of Ozzfest due to label deadlines:
Fans were disappointed, yet intrigued about who this major label might be and what kind of exposure they could give the mighty Priest! Hopes were high for a fall release, but when the end of summer came around, the album was still nowhere near completion, leaving fans confused over why Priest really pulled out of Ozzfest in the first place...
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JANUARY
2000: A new label; Glenn's dad
The process was long and hard. An important opportunity and exposure on Ozzfest had to be cancelled; important studio time was delayed; fans grew restless. But hope once again rekindled when Priest emerged in the new decade signed to the majors once again:
But Glenn also revealed personal matters that needed immediate attention:
As a final word of encouragement to begin the new year, Glenn reassured that things were back on track and that the rough demos they cut were encouraging:
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MARCH 2000: Summer tour plans... Shortly after the news of signing to
Atlantic records, reports leaked that Priest were planning to be part of a major
summer tour in the U.S., but the tour was stalled at the drawing board, with
Jayne Andrews denying any such thing was in the works:
THE SCORPIONS, JUDAS
PRIEST and NAZARETH will team up for a U.S. summer tour that will kick off the
first week of July and run through Labor Day, playing mostly outdoor venues...
"We haven't confirmed any tour
dates yet with anyone - when we do we'll announce them on our page." |
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APRIL 2000: Sessions continue The band members release an update in early 2000 explaining the
album delay and the cancellation of summer shows such as Ozzfest as necessary in
order to concentrate on the new record. The band even offered fans the
opportunity to help name the new album and submit artwork:
"GREETINGS METALLIONS! With the idea to return to more familiar ground while still evolving, PAINKILLER producer Chris Tsangarides was called upon to co-produce the new album, but existing commitments kept Chris from being available, though he did contribute to the writing of two of the album's tracks. As other options were tried, it became apparent to Glenn Tipton that he could do a better job of capturing the sound and vision of Priest, so he took over the task single-handedly, working from his home studio:
Another name making a return since the PAINKILLER album was rock and studio veteran keyboardist Don Airey:
Pix from Glenn's studio:
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JULY 2000: Rumors in
the air... In April, the report from Judas Priest said things were going well and they just needed to complete two more tracks and add Ripper's vocals. Then at the end of July, supposedly Ripper claimed the album was still in the demo stages...
It would be a long year, filled with such rumors and speculation, as the album remained uncompleted well beyond the expected due date... In fact, it would be another full year before DEMOLITION would even hit store shelves! Yet Ripper took the wait in stride, using the spare time to make new friends with idols of his past. One of those happened to be none other than Ronnie James Dio:
But the timing of the media spotting Ripper hanging out with members of Pantera happened to coincide with singer Phil Anselmo starting a side project called Down. Rumors abounded that Ripper was going to leave Priest to replace Phil in either Pantera or a new project Dimebag and Vinnie Paul were planning together (which later became Damage Plan, who's chosen vocalist, strange enough, happens to be former Halford guitarist Patrick Lachman)... And Ripper's sense of humor didn't do much to help squelch the buzz:
Denials by Jayne Andrews were quickly issued, but the rumors persisted anyway. If the album was indeed still only in the demo stages and Ripper was running with a new circle of musicians (as if that had to mean something more than just mere camaraderie), then maybe things were not all well in the Priest camp... Perhaps Owens was merely a hired-gun who was frustrated over his limited input. But Ripper rebutted such notions:
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AUGUST 2000: Ripper
meets Rob Halford On August 23, 2000, Rob was being interviewed by WNCX in Cleveland, Ohio about his new Halford band and their release 'Resurrection'. At the end of the interview, Rob commented on the air that he knew Ripper was a local boy and he would love it if he came down to the show so they could meet. Dave Jockers (WNCX APD/MD) knew Ripper's phone number, so he gave him a call. Turns out Ripper's neighbor heard about Rob saying this and told him already, and that he did want to come down. The meeting went well and both seemed to share mutual respect for each other.
Deena Weinstein, a noted professor of sociology at DePaul University in Chicago and the author of Heavy Metal: A Cultural Sociology, said of the meeting that it was not until the two met that Ripper became comfortable with being the frontman for Judas Priest. Ripper basically concurs with this analysis:
And Rob has shared his approval of Ripper leading Priest:
But it seemed too good of a thing to let Ripper and Rob be friends. The fans and the media were hungry for a reunion. In response to the rumors, Ripper began affirming his position in Priest:
Though it was never intended by Ripper, fans saw his remarks about Rob as arrogant. Then in an interview with Ripper in Greece, passing remarks were made to appear as an attack on Rob's sexuality:
Ripper's words caused such a backlash that an explanation and an apology was quickly issued by Jayne Andrews:
And once again, Ripper remained clear that Rob has returned to metal, but not to Judas Priest:
Yet, after DEMOLITION had been released and touring was well under way, a similar scenario would play out once again when an alleged quote in Rock Hard magazine caused Rob Halford to respond harshly to Ripper:
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JULY 2001: DEMOLITION
released Mastering was completed by RE-MASTERS producer Jon Astley. Jon has a unique mastering set-up which allows him to transport his equipment to one's mixing studio or to work at his 'Close To The Edge' studio facility in his Georgian town house at Twickenham overlooking the Thames.
Finally, by mid July 2001, DEMOLITION appeared on store shelves to mixed reviews. Atlantic Records failed to provide much in the way of promotion and the album proved to be more experimental and modern than fans had expected, though Priest did deliver the goods in returning to a more melodic sound and including not one, but two ballads:
It was also clear that the guys were now having the most fun time of their
lives:
But as convinced as the band members were about DEMOLITION, many fans still found the modern edge a bit too out-of-step with their expectations of "the Judas Priest sound". As much as Glenn pronounced DEMOLITION as an "evolution" of Judas Priest, fans could not help notice a strong "nu-metal" influence they felt went against the grain of all that Priest meant to them. Glenn has often stated that their primary fanbase is teenage adrenaline and testosterone-driven males. Glenn's own son was now in this age group and Glenn bounced ideas off him to see how they would be received by the current generation, but maintains that Judas Priest would be the ones making an impact on the metal scene - not the other way around...
Even Ripper himself was staying fresh with the new sounds, though he only found a select handful of bands he liked:
As the cycles of life and heavy metal come full circle once again, and the music continues to evolve, Glenn offers that the backlash from fans is normally the case every time Priest release a new record:
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SEPTEMBER 2001: ROCK STAR; BEHIND THE MUSIC In August of '97, the full story of Tim Owens' dream-come-true rise from tribute singer to the actual thing, ran in the New York Times. It caught the attention of movie producer Robert Lawrence, who immediately contacted the stories author:
Revkin would hire on as a creative consultant for the film and even Judas Priest were asked to participate, but only as far as contributing music to the soundtrack. Things turned sour when the band demanded more involvement after discovering the considerable liberties Warner Bros. were going to take with Ripper's story:
Not only is Ripper upset with the liberties taken over his true-life story, but co-star Jennifer Aniston's real-life husband Brad Pitt rejected the lead role for similar reasons:
Then there was controversy over the title: According to sources, Rob Halford's lawyers took legal rights to the title to protect his status with the fans and then warned the movie's producers of impending legal action if they carried through with their title:
Instead, the movie was retitled and released as ROCK STAR. But according to the film's producers, the title wasn't changed due to any threats from Rob Halford, but because they wanted it to have a wider appeal to the public. They felt "Rock Star" would be a bigger draw than a title with "Metal" in it... Zakk Wylde, guitarist for Ozzy and Black Label Society who played as the guitarist in the movie's fictional band Steel Dragon, also felt the title should be more broad-reaching, suggesting the title ROCK GOD:
Whether or not the title was actually changed over lawsuit threats, Judas Priest were clear that they would sue if their name or likeness was used.
And though the film is careful to leave Judas Priest out of it, the similarities still remained, such as Ripper's story of a "wanna be who got to be" and a departing singer who is gay...
Production on the movie started on March 6th, 2000 in Los Angeles, and the film was finally released on September 07, 2001. Members of the band expressed that they might see the film just to see how the Hollywood spin turned out, but wanted to make it clear that it was not based on reality, and definitely has nothing to do with the lives of Judas Priest!
If ROCK STAR didn't tell the Priest story, then perhaps VH1 could in one of their celebrated series of BEHIND THE MUSIC specials. Capitalizing on the release of ROCK STAR and the Ripper Owens story that inspired it, VH1 aired the premiere of episode #164 on September 23, 2001.
Though the episode seemed to focus more on Rob Halford and his revelation that he is gay, it was an entertaining, accurate and quite informative episode that became an instant classic among fans, as well as a rarity, since VH1 only showed it few times and never since!
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LYRICS AND
LEAD BREAKS: Machine Man
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One On One
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Hell Is Home
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Jekyll And Hyde
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"Basically, we do all the music
first. Either I get together with K.K. or I write my own stuff and do all
the musical arrangements and get the songs roughly into shape. That doesn't
mean they stay like that, but it's a rough plan. Then I usually scat some
nonsense lyrics over it to get a general feel, without any lyrical
restrictions, of how I think the vocal pattern or melodies work with the
songs. Funnily enough, nearly every time, I've come up with a line that sort
of sets the direction of the lyrics, just by a fluke, really. Then I sit
down and write the lyrics around that theme or plot. So, with me it's always
the music that comes first and the lyrics are a secondary thing. I wouldn't
say they are any the less important, but they come later and that's the way
my mind works when I'm writing."
1. Machine Man
Machine Man - Machine Man's coming
I am your darkest hour Your innocence all but fades
So many years that we were one
Don't speak to me of morality 8.
In Between
I am love, I am hate 11.
Lost and Found I always used to be afraid Unholy Satan begs
You always were too cool All songs published by EMI Songs Ltd. (Except tracks 10 and 13 - EMI Songs Ltd./Copyright Control; track 12 - EMI Songs Ltd./Scott Travis Music @ BMI) |
TOUR DATES
2001:
DEMOLITION World Tour
Ripper Owens - v, Glenn Tipton - g, K.K. Downing - g, Ian Hill - b, Scott Travis - d
Tour Manager: Alan Morris "It's
difficult to make a set list. We've got a whole bunch of songs,
some you can't not do, and you also try to fit in some new ones. It gets
progressively more difficult, but we make sure people coming to the show feel
like they got their money's worth seeing Judas Priest."
"Rehearsals with Priest don't go very well because nobody in the band likes to
rehearse, so we spend a lot of time procrastinating and drinking beer in the
pubs nearby. Bands like Priest need an audience to feed off, so we never really
like to rehearse, but we've got a good show and a good stage set and we'll be
doing a lot of old and new numbers."
"We do 'Hell is Home' in concert, and it is in 'C'. I have
to tune it up. I first told them I didn't think I could sing it, but you can get
away with it."
From the June 17 Birmingham
Academy show
From the December 19 Brixton Academy show:
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TOUR DATES
2002:
DEMOLITION World Tour Ripper Owens - v, Glenn Tipton - g, K.K. Downing - g, Ian Hill - b, Scott Travis - d
Tour Manager: Alan Morris
SETLIST
(Orange
titles are from the current album)
From the
July 7 Milwaukee Summerfest:
Thanks go to Christophe Dassy of the French Metallian website for providing many of these tour dates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© 2002-2003
Steel & Leather Productions, U.S.A.
