JUDAS PRIEST Demolition CD 2001

By 2001, half the metal world had written Judas Priest off. Tim 'Ripper' Owens was still in the seat, the nu-metal tide was lapping at everyone's ankles, and the Priest faithful were nervous. Then Demolition landed and reminded everyone that Rob Halford's absence didn't mean the band had forgotten how to be heavy.

It's not Screaming for Vengeance and it never claimed to be. What it is: a blunt, grinding slab of heavy metal that holds its ground against the era's trends without chasing them. Ripper sounds massive here, the riffs are thick, and tracks like 'One on One' and 'Hell Is Home' hit with the kind of low-end menace that belongs in any serious metal collection. Underrated in the catalogue, worth revisiting.

Full length studio album. UK pressing, 2001. CD format.

Fans of: DIO, Halford, Saxon, Accept, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Motörhead, W.A.S.P.