Oh, how the masses laughed when they heard the once mighty Judas Priest had hired a singer from a Priest cover band to replace indomitable original vocalist Rob Halford. But on 1997"s Jugulator, the band"s first new album in seven years, it"s Priest who get the last laugh. Admittedly, it"s kind of strange to hear Tim "Ripper" Owens screeching like the ghost of concerts past, but the band"s rhythmic assault is fiercer than ever, mixing aggressive death metal riffs with the group"s tried and true melodic grind. Vengeance is theirs. --Jon Wiederhorn