Judas Priest: Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals); Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing (guitar); Ian Hill (bass); Scott Travis (drums).

Recorded live in 1998. Includes liner notes by Jason Arnopp.

Personnel: Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing (guitar); Scott Travis (drums).

Audio Mixer: Sean Lynch.

Recording information: Jugulator World Tour (1998).

Photographers: George Chin; John Stone; Ross Halfin.

For many veteran heavy metal bands, the dawning of the 1990s proved to be a nightmarish fall from grace, as industrial and grunge rose in prominence and many bands were forced to ante up to the wild new sound. Therefore, fans shouldn't have been too surprised when Jugulator, Judas Priest's first album in seven years, was their heaviest to date. Although Jugulator was rated poorly by countless critics, it received a fair amount of media attention and charted surprisingly in the Billboard Top 100. Thus, even if their fan base was not as strong as before, and though they lost their central figure, vocalist Rob Halford, Judas Priest had nonetheless struck a chord with Jugulator, even if the attention it garnered was rather different from the sort that they received in their early-'80s heyday. A year later, seemingly with the intentions of trying to assure the public that they weren't going to go away, the group released the rushed double live album '98 Live Meltdown. Only a few songs from Jugulator are on the release; while this is far from a fatal flaw, it nonetheless makes Meltdown all the more of an obvious apology to their fans for the band's lackluster performance on it. The album does contain a good (if not predictable) track listing, but the ever-aging band sounds forced and winded. Die-hard fans (especially those who saw Priest on the Jugulator tour and who were hungry for some sort of souvenir) may have been interested in Live Meltdown, but those seeking a classic dose of heavy metal would likely find the album to be a disappointment. ~ Barry Weber

Judas Priest is the definitive heavy metal band, determined to keep the metal banner flying high. They have never conformed to a popular style, and have been bashing out metal anthems for over 20 years. After the departure of vocalist Rob Halford, the Priest enlisted Tim "Ripper" Owens to fill the slot. The resulting album was JUGULATOR; this live recording from that tour is a powerhouse of metal dynamite.

MELTDOWN covers the entire Priest spectrum, from "Diamonds & Rust" to "Electric Eye" to "Blood Stained." K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton's double guitar attack provide the classic riffage and solos, never slowing the pace. The axe-wielding duo sounds as tight as when they first began destroying British stages eons ago. But it is The Ripper who carries the this band into the new millennium with an incredible range. Working the crowd into a frenzy, Owens takes classics like "The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)" to previously unreachable heights. If you are a fan of heavy rock or the Priest, this album is strongly recommended. They continue to show every band that follows them how it's done. All hail the Priest!