Tim "Ripper" Owens on Joining Judas Priest at Metal's Worst Moment — and the Era That Got Erased

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:14:46 +0000

Judas Priest just played “The Ripper” live for the first time since 2019 — the same month the singer it nicknamed gave one of his most honest interviews about the job. The quote is twelve words. The web behind it runs from 1996 to right now.

The song came back the same month he did

On July 25, Judas Priest opened their Faithkeepers European tour at BOBfest in Germany and dropped “The Ripper” into the set — the first time the song had been played live since 2019, per Blabbermouth’s report on the opener and Ultimate Classic Rock’s setlist rundown.

Rob Halford on Real Rock Lab

Tim "Ripper" Owens on Joining Judas Priest at Metal's Worst Moment — and the Era That Got Erased

The song came back the same month he did