Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has offered a blunt take on why IRON MAIDEN tower over his old band as a live draw, speaking with Gustavo Maiato of Brazil's Whiplash.net on June 23, 2026.
"[IRON MAIDEN] have great management, great marketing, a great team," Owens said, contrasting that operation with PRIEST's business decisions and pointing to the gap in attendance: MAIDEN routinely filling 20,000-capacity venues while PRIEST play to crowds closer to 5,000.
Owens, who fronted JUDAS PRIEST from 1996 to 2003, remains frustrated that the two albums he recorded with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — have effectively been buried. "JUDAS PRIEST decided — their decision, no one else's — to erase the records," he said, noting that the albums' absence from Spotify makes it "hard to draw new fans." He pointed out the contradiction that PRIEST still included the material in a pricey $500 box set, proving they have the rights to release it commercially.
Despite the friction, Owens spoke warmly of his former bandmates, calling them "fantastic guys, just amazing guys" and saying he "had the time of my life" in the band — even as he feels they now "ignore" him and have "erased" his chapter of their history. He continues to keep those songs alive, performing "Jugulator" and "Demolition" cuts on his solo tours and with KK'S PRIEST, the band led by founding PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing. "They go over better than anything," he said of the crowd reaction.
Owens was famously plucked from obscurity in 1996 after PRIEST discovered a videotape of his tribute band — a story that loosely inspired the film "Rock Star."