Even after a seven-year hiatus, fans are still hungry for Priest. After one recent U.S. show, Downing says the band discovered a tribute band was playing at a nearby club later that night. "I didn't go, but I think Ripper went over there and maybe Scott. They said this band were playing stuff like 'Jawbreaker' and 'Rock Hard, Ride Free,' and I almost got a little bit jealous that we just played a lot of songs onstage, but we didn't play those. Next time we come back and play the same territories, we would like change the set list around completely. We hear what the fans are shouting out and asking us for."

With their new frontman, Priest are planning on reworking earlier material. The band recently re-recorded "Rapid Fire" and "Green Manalishi" for the Japanese Bullet Train EP, and Downing has confirmed that the band are planning on playing some earlier numbers in future shows, including possibly "Dreamer Deceiver" and "Jawbreaker". They also have demoed a new arrangement of "Diamonds And Rust". For archivists, other material is arriving from outside of the Priest vaults. Two import collections are due out soon - from Sweden, a 1980 US concert recording entitled Concert Classics, and from Japan, a CD called Live and Rare. (In an odd, unrelated twist, former singer Alan Atkins is rumored to have teamed up with Dave Holland to record Atkins' fourth solo album, Victim Of Changes 1998, which features new versions of that song and some Rocka Rolla tunes, plus early unrecorded Priest tracks like "Holy Is The Man" and "Mind Conception".)

Now that Judas Priest are reviving classic songs in concert (and hopefully on album), one has to wonder if the numerous unreleased tracks - an extended version of "Caviar & Meths" from Rocka Rolla, "Mother Sun," rumored extra cuts from Screaming For Vengeance, the Turbo tunes, the SAW sessions, and even some Jugulator demos - will ever surface? Perhaps on a box set? "We have fairly strict quality control on what we put out," maintains Downing, "and I don't think we really need to delve deep into the archives to pull out stuff that we didn't have a mind to release at the time and think that it's good enough to release now, you know. It probably would be if we put our mind and whatever talent together to make it sound respectable in this day and age. I dare say we could do a damn good job, but personally I think we're all much more up and excited about what new material we can keep coming up with. We're recording a live album - maybe a double album - on the Jugulator world tour. Then we want to go into the studio and make some more music again. I think we can be very, very strong and make some great metal music for a few years to come yet."

With the energetic Owens in tow, the metal giants have been revived, and in their rebirth are rejuvenating classic British metal itself. While Tipton handled lyrical responsibilities on Jugulator, Owens will become immersed in the songwriting process on their next album. Ripper authored some lyrics for Winters Bane, so he's no stranger to songwriting. Everyone in the Priest camp is pumped. "We want to reconfirm that we're still around and will be for a long time," exclaims Downing. "We want the fans to know that we haven't forgotten them and we don't want them to forget us." Mission easily accomplished.

Bryan Reesman, 1998
(bryan@judas-priest.com)