The Album Reader Reviews:

	Title: Demolition Artist: Judas Priest Label: Atlantic Records Release Date: 7/31/01	There are currently 6 Reader Reviews of this album. Average Rating: 2.83 Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album
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Submitted by Loren Sanders (10/17/01):
In all honesty, I thought Jugulator sucked worse than even most of the boy-toy-tripe on EmpTv these days, and I wasn't anxious for another Priest album after hearing it. After watching the Priest "Behind The Music" recently, I decided to give the beast another try as the special reminded me of some of the reasons I've listened to the band for 25 odd years now.
I give points to Owens for trying to distance himself from the Halford-sound-alike he was on Jugulator. However, here he seems indecisive about who exactly he wants to be vocally and often reminds me of King Diamond on Demolition (and no, that is not intended as a compliment).
I think the band tried a lot harder to make a solid album this time out, but ended up sounding like they're still worried about being current rather than just being Priest. Jugulator was an attempt to prove they weren't too old to go at it with Slayer and Pantera; Demolition is an attempt to prove they can stand alongside all the so-called "nu metal" that's on the radio these days. On both albums they forget to sound like Judas Priest, a major influence on most of these other bands; why try to compete with your own prodigy? Dumb.
I think Demoltion is a big step up from Jugulator, but still a big step down from Priest's old standards. Every time I listen to this one it sounds more and more like a blend of Dio's Angry Machines and Halford's "Two" project lp Voyuers; which all things Priest and Halford related is truly weird.
I'll bet that Atlantic dumps them in no time (as Atlantic hasn't tried to "build" a metal band in years and years), and if/when they get another album out, I hope it makes the next big step back to being Judas Priest.

Submitted by Flipao (9/3/01):
Demolition is a quality release, period. You can only blame Tipton and Co. for trying to appeal to younger audiences with songs like "One on One," "Subterfuge" and "Metal Messiah."
Still the album sounds great, "Cyberface Devil Digger," "One on One" and "In Between" are heavy, very heavy, pretty similar to the tracks you found in Jugulator.
The you have the most melodic stuff, which is what lifts this album way beyond average:
"Hell is Home" is just brilliant, with a cool slow, melodic intro. "Feed on Me" rocks, most of the riffs are pure Priest, and it could have easily be included in Painkiller ten years ago. The two ballads "Lost and Found" and "Close to You" are classic Priest, disguised under Tip Owen's voice, which won't ever sound like old Priest. "Machine Man" is a fast song, remiscent of Painkiller once again :), and "Bloodsuckers" is pure hard rock, once again disguised as metal via Ripper's vocal cords. :P
Almost 70 minutes of Quality Metal, not as good as Painkiller, but still good enough to stand as a Priest album.

Submitted by Franky Barnes (8/26/01):
I was excited for the release of this album. I thought Jugulator was pretty good and Meltdown '98 is a fantastic live album and really warmed me up to Ripper's vocals. Then they pre-released a condensed version of "Machine Man" (the 1st track on Demolition) and I was touching the ceiling. Then it comes out and THUD ! I was dropped to the floor hard.
In my opinion there are 2 ways to measure this album: against other new releases and against the Priest back catalog. In either case, Demolition leaves a lot to be desired. To me it sounds weak and uninspired and really, even Rob Halford wouldn't breathe much life into this recording. Let's be fair, though. It doesn't totally suck, "Hell is Home," "Bloodsuckers" and "Cyberface" are pretty catchy tunes and over time you may find yourself pulling Demolition out of your collection to listen to these cuts, but beyond that, this album doesn't offer much to metal fans or Priest fans.

Submitted by azazel_28546 (8/20/01):
First of all I would like to say that without Halford, Priest is just not Priest. The lyrics are not the same and the fire is just not as strong. This is a better album than Jugulator but I feel that it would be better if Tipton and Downing just called the band "Tipton and Downing" instead of "The Once Godly Judas Priest."
The first problem I have is the new sound. Leave the Pantera sounds to the Texan boys. I really wish they would go back to the classic metal sound, I.E. Painkiller, or if they need new inspiration listen to the new Primal Fear. The second problem is the lyrics. The Halford/Tipton/Downing was great but it doesn't seem to work very well with just Tipton/Downing, and Ripper doesn't contribute at all. Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad album, just not a Judas Priest album. Ressurection simply blows it away. Ripper is not a bad vocalist, although I feel that Ralf Scheepers would have done justice for this band much better then Ripper does.
If it wasn't called Judas Priest it would be a pretty solid album.

Submitted by Painkiller (8/19/01):
I don't understand why people bash this album. It has lots of great, catchy songs, my favourites being "Subterfuge," "One On One," "Hell Is Home," "Metal Messiah" and "In Between." These songs are masterpieces.
I love this album. This is exactly how I want Priest to sound in the year 2001.

Submitted by John (8/17/01):
On the first listen, I expected another Jugulator, an album which I enjoy for its heavy riffs and vocals, although the lyrics to that album were weak/cliche, the downtuned guitars weren't necessary, and a lot of the riffs were approaching a nu-metal sound while straying away from the classic Judas Priest signature sound. Well, Demolition takes some of the worst elements of Jugulator, with the lyrics being outright terrible, for the most part. Also take out the overall heaviness and attitude from Jugulator. There is not much of a full live guitar sound, rather a more commercial Priest feel. Needless to say on the first listen, it sucked. Not to mention vocal work sounded plain cheesy at times, although I know Ripper can really shine and he does a great job at times too. This isn't NEARLY as heavy as Jugulator, and too much of the trademark sound is missing.
On the second listen, there is a little improvement. You start to get by the lyrics and vocals. The production, like I notice on a lot of major label albums, is a little more vocal heavy, polished, and guitars not raw/live enough. Other major label metal albums that come to mind when I think of these features are Testament's Low and Morbid Angel's Domination, but those shouldn't be compared to Demolition. Not a major complaint, but the songwriting overall is weak, and seems to simply not seem enough like Priest. It is quite easy to get sick of this album, it's not horrible either, I give it two skulls for some decent songs and good performance, just typical major label overproduction of metal-- I want to hear raw and loud guitar riffs at the front of the mix, especially when it comes to Priest. And I like Ripper better than Halford, when he can sing! Listen to Meltdown 98 Live, he kicks ass. If he would just unleash killer vocals and have the powerful music needed to back it. When it comes to their tour I hope only three or four songs from this album creep onto their set, but hell, I'm showing up for Iced Earth!

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