 Welcome to the metal voice once again on the show Tim Ripper Owens. Oh, I'm back back for the attack Oh, wait, that's docking isn't it the sinner rides again. Yes. I am center rides again It should have been called Ripper rides again. That's what it should have been called. I'm talking to Ken now That's it. That's going to my contract September 29th V&A Palm Records Tim Ripper Owens on vocals AJ Mills on guitar Tony Newton on bass Sean elk. I'm not sure if I pronounce elk properly on drums and of course KK Downing on guitar as well. All right, the album's coming out very soon Ripper, I guess my first question is before we get into the album, how will the live shows come across with the fans? What's the feedback so far? It's been unbelievable. I mean, I think if anybody's read the reviews or saw anything on it's been incredible I Think it's always funny when I read someone was they were shocked that it was as good as it was But I think I think what they're shocked at is, you know, we have pretty good pretty big production pyro The screens. I mean, it's a it's a great show It's a costly show and it's a great show, you know, but we've We've been on fire. We've gotten better with with every show as you would I mean, you know coming off the gate out of the gate like that here a new New lineup than doing it, but it's been really really great. I can't you know, I've actually sang as good as I'm saying I'm singing as good as I've sang on my whole lives at this moment now next week. I might not be so let's look at this I'm almost 56. I might just go Toilet, but I've been on fire, man I've been sounding I've just had total control and it's a lot of fun. We're having a lot of fun up there You know, it's kind of like you revisited your priest ears, right? That's what it's coming down to right? Yeah, you know, it's funny is Uh The classic priest songs have always been an easier song for me to sing than my own So it's kind of funny, you know, I mean even KK's priest songs are are much more they're the more difficult songs in the setlist to sing than the classic priest songs But what's great about doing the priest songs is I sing them Like me, you know, I mean, that's the great thing about doing it but it's they're just a little bit easier to sing but it's it's uh You know, I had five years. I've said in interviews that I wasn't singing is great and then for the past year I've just gotten it back full on all of a sudden and uh, it's been pretty good the most So the most comments are some of the most interesting comments that I'm seeing is A lot of people a lot of fans want to integrate your priest era Into the set list. I think there's one or two songs, right? But they want to see more of that Are you getting that vibe from everyone? Well, we knew we'd get that vibe and we wanted to do that right out of the gate, but The the problem with us out of the gate was we were doing festivals and on our own shows So you have to make a set list that's kind of Adaptable to everybody, you know, and I think I think eventually when we start touring and touring and doing our own shows There's two things that's going to happen. I would I hope we had one or two more of my ear I think one on one has to be in the set list. I think burning out Two songs that have to be in a set list. It'd be nice to do cathedral spires because that's one that fans ask for the most But I think we're going to be obviously adding more of kk's priest in I mean, that's we have six songs in their knob kk's priest and We'll be releasing two new videos soon. So we'll add two more in and we'll probably add another one from the first record Another one from the new record and so I think that's what's going to start going in there as well But I there's no doubt people want to hear it. I mean Judas Priest ignores it and ignored it and have you know Act like I was never in the band. I mean Which is It's fine. It makes my solo touring and kk's priest touring all that more exciting for people because at least they can go hear it And I yeah, I think that's that's something but I had that conversation with ken from the start Uh, I would have liked to have seen more of my era in there But he explained it by saying, you know, we have to you know, and it's really it is Festivals are a whole different animal than your own shows because you're you have different people there for different bands So you need to do one that you can suck all these different people into your setlist Like I'm hearing a lot of you know, I see a couple of people I'm probably more in the minority saying this is a tribute band. It's a tribute band I mean, what do you say to somebody who says that and I know what you would say But tell me what would you say to someone who says this is a tribute band? Well, it makes no sense. First of all, it's a stupidest comment. That's I mean listen And you've seen these comments, right? You've seen these comments Well, I gotta be honest since we've been playing live. I've hardly ever seen so I don't see them much anymore Because now the proof is in the pudding. It's like well, this yeah, this is but listen, um We're not talking about the sharpest tools in the shed with people on the internet. I mean people There's the stupidest comments I've ever read on there and I come back to a lot of these people with funny comments and I'm sorry. I'll do my best to make you happy in the future or whatever But people are just stupid. They just get on the internet to just Say things that make no sense what so or they actually give you career advice when they're They have no fucking careers at all even in life. You can look at most those people in life and go You have a tough road. I'm sorry. I mean, I can't help that you You know your upbringing probably wasn't very good and you're miserable in life And then they just spread it upon everybody around them I They just want people to you know, and that's usually That's all the people that are metal voice fans, you know, you guys got Fucking long-haired want to be rocking guy that acts like he's what I think he wanted to be in the end Interview people and that's failed for him. He failed interview and he hates everything about kk's priest He's so fucking miserable about I forget his name. He's so fucking miserable about everything and it's like So he just continually puts us down. It's like dude It's so great to to watch the response from our concerts, you know It's been it's been Overwhelming, I mean the response to our shows and that's what the proof is in the pudding And I don't mind when people don't like this. You don't have I don't like a lot of stuff, you know I don't like stuff But when it's when they don't like it and they say it like a tribute band it's like I mean kk's the founding member of judas priest. I was in judas priest uh This is we're half the set now is our own songs and And three quarter the set is going to be our own songs now. I mean it's it makes no sense, but You know, they have their opinions and it's great. You get to have it. It's when they're stupid opinions. That's funny Yeah, all right fair enough. Um The new album We called it the the ripper rides again. No the sinner rides again Um, tell me about the recording process So you went was this done remote or was this actually you went to the studio to record your vocals? But everything was recorded england except my vocals. I I had a hard time talking kin and to let me record my vocals here at my studio That's just how I do it now and I get the best out of it a lot of the times Uh if the material is good, um You know like my solo ep Return to death row that was recorded here, but I had to talk to me and I said kin listen I could be here. We could be on video. I can record it uh I could come out here and have coffee and and go back and you know, it's and it really I could tell I could tell the difference between from the first record. I mean this record the vocals Uh are are way more passionate and I think it's because I spent a lot of time on them way more aggressive Way more versatile But I had to talk him in because kin's old school and he's like, no, I don't know You got to be here to do it. I'm like come on kin, you know, let me just do it here So finally one day I remember I got people. I was like, hey, you can start recording there. I'm like, yes All right, but everything else is recorded there um uh, you know drums uh Sean's drumming on this new records is you could you could tell everybody Is themself now that he gets really a band and the unit everybody's Branched out, you know me. I've had a 30 year career. So there's not a lot of branching out I could do at this point. I'm I sing like me. I am me and that's what you get But Sean had even more to prove I think because it's like because he's so good and uh You could really hear it on this kin really let him go a little more on this and become himself So, okay, musically when you compare the first album to this album, what do you think has changed or stayed the same? How would you compare it? well, I think uh I think it's a cohesiveness is better I think the sounds have a more cohesive the song sound to have a more cohesive I think they even with all the musical changes in the songs It all runs great. It sounds better. I I The first record was exactly what we needed. It was a little more old school The sound was more old school. Everything about it was was a classic sound This one has a little more punch to a little more aggressiveness. The sound is is absolutely unbelievably good um I think you could just tell it's a real Now it's like this is just we've moved into something even better Which are last interview I did he said did you did you have a lot of pressure on it? I'm like, I don't think I didn't have any pressure all the pressure's on kin. So um, I was like I I don't think we did. I think we knew what we had to do and we knew what we are as a band but I think it's it's uh It's progression And it's just I just love it. I mean, I just think it sounds great I mean the songs like wash away your sins is so epic to end the record with and I love that AJ gets to sing the beginning of it at first. I was mad. I'm like, yeah, you took my I I didn't know who was singing that part. There's no reference that that's yeah We wanted to do something different and add like a little character thing here and there And we let AJ sing a couple times because he's so good anyways and sometimes Like that part. I didn't sound a whole lot different with me doing it When I first did it But what made it great was it sounded like this different voice and then I you know, he's like You know, then I come in with and now We must feel the pain but it comes from him doing that demons from a distance and then There's so much things on this record like that that we branched off and did and uh that song is I love I love that strike of the viper right in your face I Love the ending song wash away your sins. I think it's just epic and musically and vocally. It's so good Yeah, you do a great job. No question. I like time six time six six Uh You know throughout the whole album you kind of got these little growls happening Sort of like they make a little guest appearance on every song little growls here and there or a little spoken word Yeah, I do a lot. I got this weird thing where I do Especially when I'm recording myself because here's what happens is, uh I You can use my vocals or not. I give them a lot of vocals. I sing when I'm in my studio I give you a lot of shit. So what I do is Like there'll be songs words start and I'll be like into the end of the verse like a Like most people in this real studio would be doing that with with you know technology But I'm so old school and used to doing stuff myself that I do a lot of stuff Just you know, it's kind of like when Judas Priest recorded British steel and there's Whatever song it wasn't had the cutlery going down Yeah, I mean you used to do it old school. I still record like metal gods That's what it was. Yeah metal gods at the end of middle gods with cutlery I do a lot of stuff and I overdo it and they could use it or not, you know and I and uh I love I just I feel that I just love the vocals on this record. I love what I had to work with I love what kin gave me to work with and I took it to a different level for myself to just Put a lot of character. Listen, you know that we grew up with and I grew up with My singers that I like growing up with was people like Ronnie James Dio Rob David Bowie John Oliva people who sang in characters and told a story and And whether the songs are heavy or not, I still like to do and unfortunately I can sing Really heavy and really mellow and really light and really high and really low so I can kind of do all that Yeah, um, did you uh lend a hand? I know KK likes to write the songs. He's sort of in his in his sort of Mindset that he wants to write all the songs. Did you get to add your own thing? Did you get to do a little bit of songwriting this time around? I really didn't I mean I got dad I got to change some vocal lines around and some and and sing them How I would want to sing him He would give me the idea then I would sing them how how I thought it would go Which a lot of times were more aggressive than than what it might have was originally Um a lot more high notes than were probably there. It's funny There's freaking after you hear it back after you're in the studio Then you hear all the songs like man, I sang a lot of high notes just out of nowhere. They're everywhere and uh But you know, I understand it because kin's got a lot to prove To the fans and to himself. He's like I we've said this probably in the past. I've said it that kin's Been writing music for 50 years with with the guys. I think everybody who listens to like I still said to see before I love that they Say that kind of sounds reminds me of parts of judas priest. I'm like How about it reminds you of kk downing because That's that's who's writing the stuff. It's kk downing who wrote the judas priest songs. I mean so But he I understand it, you know, I got to do that with my solo record and my other records and But I love that I could be I could just come in there and be ripper owens and and sing it how I want to sing it, you know Um, how does for from my perspective I listen to the studio songs and I see when you guys play them live It just seems like they translate even better live than they do on record. They're meant to be played live They're very unthemic Am I correct in this? I mean do you think that they really come across great live and people really enjoy them? I think they do and what's really funny about that now. Listen when you have a songwriter like kk He's always in his career thought of that, right? He's the old school guy that thinks about writing songs in the studio That are going to be sung live Uh, they're they're like I said earlier. They're tougher to sing than the classic priest songs. They're tougher to sing um But I've always prided myself on singing songs live like they were sung in a studio. I don't like singers that Don't that change the songs live or can't sing them live or Never sing the same version live. I love this, you know, ronnie deo sang them live like they sang them in a studio I love to do that and these songs are are great to do that with and it is crazy. I mean we're doing One more shot at glory in the crowd singing at the festivals too. That's what i'm getting at that's on even even the Rep uh the whirlwind. What's it called? Uh, rape the whirlwind reap the whirlwind. That's right and and you know brothers of the road and and you know singing Raise your fist. Oh And the people are singing but hell fire thunderbolt right on the gate hell fire And it's like You know, this is festivals that people are we're a new band and people aren't there to see us a lot of people I mean there's you know, festivals are the hardest thing for bands to do because Especially like us snappy It's been remarkable and and and I can't imagine how great our own shows are going to be but yeah, they've come across great Uh One more shot at glory when we go into that second, you know opening with hell fire thunderbolt one more shot at glory They're the perfect two openers and the crowd has just been been out of this world So yeah, they go they come across live and I think we perform them good live Um, I've been singing them really good live and I think that helps Helps them come across Now when I speak listen when I say yeah, they probably won't come across as good. That's gonna I Fanned you better be spot on pretty soon because I'm not always going to sing these songs this good So we're I'm in a moment right now. Let me have my moment. So you guys Uh pretty soon you're gonna have to pick me up I'm just gonna run through these songs really fast sons of the sentinel. Everybody knows Was it released first? Was that the first son? I was released either way great The guitar work is incredible the dual harmonies on that song are just like sort of off the charts Hey, what's about that? That hasn't been released yet. Nobody's heard. No, nobody's heard it. Sorry The funny thing about that is when I record that at home that song's really high Well, that was the background vocals that I gave that wasn't my main vocal line I gave him a regular verse and then I gave him a low one to harmonize with it And then I gave him a high one to go and then I got it back I'm like, holy crap. You used that high vocals as my main one. I was like, whoa, that's gonna be fun to sing live But just to add the guitar harmonies. They're like on steroids. Yeah, I was like, holy crap What is going on here? I just so I guess people haven't heard that uh strike of the viper A little bit of growls like we were talking about right I love my favorites. It's like two and a half minute song. That's just right in your face That's gonna be one of our videos coming out pretty soon and uh I love that song but I got it. I was like and I think aj wrote that song with with ken and uh I love it. I think it's uh, it's fantastic Reap the world win which which everybody knows by now because that was released either as a live performance or as a video I don't remember one more shot at glory. That's the super catchy one off the album Was that released as well? I think that was released right the first one released Yeah, super catchy, uh, you know again fits in right in with the first album of you know, that sort of style I'm 66 now we're getting into a sort of a little more orchestrations at the beginning Uh a little again some more growls him 66 him 66 is What's cool about it is it's got like a choir thing going on So yeah, it starts to get in a little bit of epic thing. The vocals are all over the place The center rides again, not the reaper rides again, but the center rides again. That's another cool track. Yeah Very catchy as well keeper of the graves Now we're getting into a little more epic territory, correct thoughts on that one Yeah, it's it the record really ends with some big epic songs and And some mellow vocals and then the heavy vocals. What's nice is a lot of these songs go from these pretty nice mellow vocals to just Vocals that smash you right in your face, you know, so that one that one in the keeper of the graves is like that and then pledge your souls It has that kind of beginning like raise your fist, you know, oh Oh, you can hear it. It's like um It's a great tune. That's like a big would you pledge your souls? Would you scream out loud? Well, it's pretty big, you know And wash away your sins. You got that flanger on the guitar is literally slow mix kind of creepy At the same time brings you back to the 70s, you know that chorus flanger on the guitar sound, right? It's it's something straight off Rock a roller or something, man. It's Oh and I said about that somebody said it to me. I think it was a friend of mine I was playing up for and I said My girlfriend I said Listen and they said, oh my god. It's so sad That like the beginning like they were sad from the beginning of the Guitar just his guitar player like it makes me want to cry and then And then aj comes in singing and then I come in singing and they're like, oh my god now you're making me sad It's kind of got but the verses of wash away your sins are my favorite verses. They just got that It's just right in your face and it's got that groove in your head. I just love it, man That's a it's a great great song Tim, you know, you've always been a guest on so many bands. You so many projects Do you feel finally like, you know, I got a home now in a sense like I'm part of something now, you know, something more constant Well, I do I do I actually You know, I'm kind of lucky because I feel at home doing solo touring and stuff And and putting that solo EP out made me go. Here's a home as well. I got myself a home I can because I chore it solo So now that I have a solo EP and solo record that'll come out But you know, this is the one that you want to Make it it's hard nowadays. First of all, the show we take on a road is so damn expensive that Ken's not going to make it a cheesy show and a low budget show and he's just not going to show up in jam Like I would solo So it's hard to probably constantly do this but Yeah, I mean I I said from the start when I did KK's priest. That's what I'm fully on. I mean But what I would love to, you know, I still get to go out and do some three trimmer shows and do my solo shows But my main priority is KK's priest to me. It's like your gig now. That's your gig I mean, I think that's the perfect fit for you too, man. It's it's finally, you know, for after a long time I guess, right? Yeah, it's great. And I'm in listen Uh, fortunately I make good money when I do it the other way. So that's the best part about going and doing solo touring and doing solo records Um, you know financially, I don't know if anything will be any different But I would love I just love to get on these stages in this show and be in this band and be a unit and They're big stages and big shows and big production and you know, there's 16 of us out on the road with the crew I mean, it's a big deal and uh It's great to do it and it's great that I'm in the Best shape and top form vocally of my career and and uh, I think so too Uh, what about the us in canada? What are we talking here? Are we talking about dates? That the goal is that's what these First five or six festivals and shows were about they were a showcase to show what we got and what we are and what this shows about so now uh, again, you know financially it's Expensive to tour and it's hard nowadays I mean, you don't hear people bitching about it all the time and ken's not gonna But they know more than you do tim the people on the internet They know more than you do and they're telling you what to do, right? Well, that's when they keep saying get here get it Well, we want to get everywhere and that's what these shows are for and and uh, You know now tko is the agent so the offers will come in but even when offers come in and it might be great It's like we we financially still can't go there because our production's too expensive. You know, I mean um But they're coming in now numbers have went up Everybody sees what we're about that. This is a band. It's serious and it's good and we have fun um That's the big thing. I think people can see too is it's We put a lot into the show so our goal. Yeah, our goal is to play everywhere You know our goal is to go and tour the world And uh, so that's what the we're starting to do now these these shows. We're all about that, you know um And now you guys you guys compliment Judas Priest. You're not like taken away from priest I find I would go see priest and I'd see kk I wouldn't I wouldn't have to pick because I think they're two different entities in a sense It's definitely two different entities. I mean we do, you know, we'll do Probably less priests classic priest songs as we go on because we're gonna be, you know, right? Like I said, we did six songs of kks priest now We're probably doing eight songs on the uk run. Maybe we'll probably doing 10 you 10 kks priest songs or more when we start going Which not I know people think it's another Judas Priest, but it's not it's it's k I know that name and people don't like I still if you don't like the name I understand it but to get so mad you wouldn't listen to the band and you Put us down because you don't like the name. I mean It's I think it's fine. I don't see anything wrong with the name. I don't understand why people are so tight about it We're not reinventing the wheel We happen to capitalize to go out and do it on something and you if we want us, you know We have to do it. But anyways, there's Judas Priest and Ross were two different things. We'll play a whole different catalog Um And that's that's how it is Hopefully we will play more songs off of our era, but there isn't it's you got the Judas Priest And I'm looking forward to their new record coming out. I can't wait, you know robb's singing great and uh I'm glad they decided to have two guitar players and uh, I think it's gonna be fantastic All right, man, that's pretty much it anything else you want to add I'm just thinking it's funny that they went to one guitar player. I still think it's a funny thing Well, no, they went to one guitar player and then they said wait a second. No, no, we're gonna go to two guitars, right? I'm gonna go to uh I've been talking ingbating to going into a band with no members at all and he won't do it but I I said we should Do a band with no guitar players and just I'm gonna three bass players three bass players and uh, maybe like a keyboard is I'm I think it's fantastic. I think I think priest's new record. It's gonna be fantastic Like I said robb sounding so good now and uh and everybody's got it. Listen, you got old school heavy metal You got Judas Priest kickers priest maiden playing top of the game You got all these tours out there all old school metal fans and And fans of real heavy metal concerts should be pretty happy I agree. I agree on that note. We're at 30 minutes Tim look forward to seeing you in Montreal, Canada next time you're around Hopefully you guys will get around. What do you owe me again when I come there? I owe you. I think chinese food or something. I can't remember what it is now. It's something chinese food I can't remember you owe me something. So Some kind of food I think so A big bag of chinese food, but you wanted indian, right? Maybe it was indian food. I can't remember Oh, I love indian food. That's my favorite, but I don't need quite as I'll just take a low-carb shake Okay, I'll get you one of those One of those. What do they call them? Those those those shakes there you could uh, you can buy at the pharmacy Yeah Yeah, it's kind of like that like insure insure That's kind of I'm old. I mean you're with me. So you got we could share an insure together All right, man. Talk to you soon. Good luck. Okay. We'll see you soon, buddy. Good see you