Judas Priest
Live In London

THE REVIEW

2003: the Priest had just released "Demolition", an album that was rather coldly received by the public, and they were on tour to promote it. It is from this tour that 'Live In London' was recorded. At the microphone, we find Tim "Ripper" Owens, a singer present since "Jugulator", who also demonstrated in the previous live "Meltdown" that, even if he is not at Halford's level (at times truly unapproachable), he manages to adequately sing the old Priest classics.

Let's start with the description of the live show: the tracklist features many classics and some pieces from "Demolition" and "Jugulator". The first disc opens with "Metal Gods", well sung by Owens and greeted by a roar from the audience, and continues with various classics, including "Heading Out To The Highway", "Grinder", "Victim Of Changes", "The Green Manalishi", "Running Wild", and "The Ripper", all played with mastery and, in the case of "Victim Of Changes", masterfully expanded through amazing improvisations. But here we also find more recent pieces like "Blood Stained", "One On One", and "Feed On Me", in which Judas Priest prove they can make the pieces from their latest albums much more appealing live. I honestly love this version of "One On One", which I consider light years away from the studio version. Among the classics, I have not listed "Diamonds And Rust", because I wanted to give a short description of this gem. This version is acoustic, full of pathos, and here good Tim adds his own touch, demonstrating he can alternate very high screams with a sweeter singing, with deep and never harsh vocalizations.

The second disc opens with "Beyond The Realms Of Death", and here, in my opinion, Owens' performance drops a bit, still remaining above average. Then come "Burn In Hell" and "Hell Is Home", taken respectively from "Jugulator" and "Demolition", and the same discussion made about the other pieces from the aforementioned albums applies here. After these good tracks, there is a parade of classics: "Breaking The Law", "Desert Plains", "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", and "Turbo Lover".

Then you hear a motorcycle roar, and "Painkiller" starts: this is a magnificent version, it's just a shame for a small mistake in Tipton's solo, but considering his advanced age and the looming arthritis, I willingly forgive him. Here the concert should have ended, but in their extreme kindness, the Priest of Judas offer us an encore by playing "The Hellion", which as usual is the prelude to the beautiful "Electric Eye", then "United", "Living After Midnight", and finally, the beautiful "Hell Bent For Leather".

At this point, the disc is really over, and Ripper Owens leaves the last testimony of his work with the Priest.