TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Announces February/March 2027 European Tour

Former JUDAS PRIEST vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens will embark on an extensive European tour in February and March 2027. The trek will feature 30 concerts across 14 countries, with special guests ONE MACHINE, ENGINEERED SOCIETY PROJECT and WHO ON EARTH joining on selected dates.

Owens has built a career spanning several decades and is widely known for his time as the frontman of JUDAS PRIEST. During his tenure, he recorded the studio albums "Jugulator" and "Demolition", as well as the live albums "'98 Live Meltdown" and "Live In London".

Beyond JUDAS PRIEST, Owens has performed and recorded with several established heavy metal acts, including KK'S PRIEST, ICED EARTH, Yngwie Malmsteen and CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED. His solo releases include "Play My Game" and "Return To Death Row".

The upcoming European tour will feature material from different stages of Owens's career, performed alongside his touring band. The schedule includes concerts throughout Central, Northern, and Southern Europe, with three guest acts appearing during different parts of the tour.

European tour dates 2027:

Special guest: ONE MACHINE | February 4-16

Feb. 04 - Kino Regis - Bochnia, Poland
Feb. 05 - Stary Dom - Domecko, Poland
Feb. 06 - Eden Underground - Brumov, Czech Republic
Feb. 07 - [Venue to be announced] - Sofia, Bulgaria
Feb. 09 - Pocoloco - Paganica, Italy
Feb. 11 - Druso - Bergamo, Italy
Feb. 12 - Borderline - Pisa, Italy
Feb. 13 - Artfabrik - Freiburg, Germany
Feb. 14 - [Venue to be announced] - Saint-Jean-de-Védas, France
Feb. 16 - ECI Cultuurfabriek - Roermond, Netherlands

Special guest: ENGINEERED SOCIETY PROJECT | February 17-28

Feb. 17 - DVG Club - Kortrijk, Belgium
Feb. 19 - Bergkeller - Reichenbach, Germany
Feb. 20 - [Venue to be announced] - Selb, Germany
Feb. 21 - Poppodium - Emmen, Netherlands
Feb. 22 - Spirit of 66 - Verviers, Belgium
Feb. 24 - Sunset Bar - Martigny, Switzerland
Feb. 25 - Del Vino - Orchamps-Vennes, France
Feb. 26 - Soundcheck One - Waldbronn, Germany
Feb. 27 - Soundcheck One - Waldbronn, Germany
Feb. 28 - Rock Fabrik - Übach-Palenberg, Germany

Special guest: WHO ON EARTH | March 3-13

Mar. 03 - Katalin - Uppsala, Sweden
Mar. 04 - Carlsson på Kajen - Västerås, Sweden
Mar. 05 - Klubb Hades - Borås, Sweden
Mar. 06 - Backstage Rockbar - Trollhättan, Sweden
Mar. 07 - Karosserifabrikken - Helsingør, Denmark
Mar. 09 - Bounty Rock Cafe - Olomouc, Czech Republic
Mar. 10 - Reigen - Vienna, Austria
Mar. 11 - Wutscha - Wolfsberg, Austria
Mar. 12 - Festival - Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mar. 13 - Kino Klub - Svatobořice, Czech Republic

Touring band:

Tim "Ripper" Owens - Vocals
Emiliano Tessitore - Guitar
Martin Bílek - Guitar
Francesco Caporaletti - Bass
Alessio Palizzi - Drums

The European tour 2027 offers audiences the opportunity to hear Owens perform songs representing his extensive career in heavy metal. With 30 scheduled performances and three special guest acts, the tour brings together musicians from different parts of the international metal scene.

The 2001 Warner Bros. movie "Rock Star", starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-rock star, was loosely based on Owens, who fronted a JUDAS PRIEST cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when PRIEST drummer Scott Travis was given a videotape of Tim performing with the PRIEST cover band BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Rob Halford, who has since rejoined the band.

Asked in an interview with The Vinyl Guide podcast what kind of advice or preparation he had for stepping into Rob's shoes, Owens said: "Well, listen, I was confident. They were confident with my voice. I knew some fans wouldn't like me, but I also knew that I could sing really good, and I could sing really good live. One advantage I felt I had as a singer was I could sing what I recorded in the studio; whatever I recorded, I'm gonna be able to sing that live. And I felt when fans came to the show, they would be happy that they have someone who's coming in the JUDAS PRIEST that could still keep the voice going. So if someone didn't like me, there's nothing I could do. K.K. [Downing, then-PRIEST guitarist] used to always say, ''The proof is in the pudding. Come to the show and see.' And I think a lot of people used to come to the shows and they just couldn't wait to hate me. They hated me showing up and wanted me to fail. And so many of 'em, I'd win 'em over when I started singing, because they could tell that I loved it; I loved what I was singing, and I wanted to do the songs justice. So I always felt confident."

Addressing the fact that the two albums PRIEST recorded with Owens — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — sold poorly, and he was ultimately pushed out to clear the way for the return of Halford, Tim said: "It was a really bad time of heavy metal. So it wasn't like I joined them in the heyday. I mean, when Rob left JUDAS PRIEST, they were playing in front of a couple thousand people on the 'Painkiller' tour, a lot of shows So, it really wasn't a great time of heavy metal. So I understood that, and I understood people would want Rob back. But all I cared about was getting on stage and sound[ing good]. I just wanted the band to be happy and me to be happy with me doing it. That's all I worried about."

He added: "I know a lot of the the musicians at the time, especially the hair metal bands, because hair metal was gone at that time, they hated me in L.A., 'cause they were, like, 'Who's this guy? He comes from Akron, Ohio. What's he done? How's he here?' And I still am the same Ohio guy, [with the] same friends. I have the same attitude. And all of us are the same. I tell musicians this all the time: we're all the same. I mean, nothing different."

Asked if he had any sort of communication or relation with Halford at that time, Owens said: "No, just in the press. They always tried to get us to say mean things and bad things. And every now and then, one of us would say something. Now, this was pre-Internet. So, I couldn't imagine doing that nowadays, how screwed up it would be. But, no, because there was a respect. I don't think Rob liked me much, probably at the time, because someone's going to his band, his songs and singing this, but we always had this respect. And when we met each other, we always had great talks. And I think it made a lot of people mad that we liked each other. I think it made a lot of people mad, and I think it still does. But whenever I've seen him, I love talking to him, and he knows what's going on with me, and he's, like, 'Oh, I see that you're playing in Russia,' whatever."

Tim continued: "Back in those days, [journalists] would have the old tape recorder hidden. Now they could just turn their phone on, and no one would know it. But you would do an interview, and then they go, 'All right, the interview's over.' And then they'd turn the tape recorder off, but they'd have another one going in their pocket trying to get you to say stuff. And you know this, doing interviews, you get people to feel comfortable so you talk like you're friends. And then you just start saying stuff. And I put my foot in my mouth a few times. Oh, now I do all the time, because now — I always do."

"Demolition" and "Jugulator" are included on "50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music", JUDAS PRIEST's limited-edition box set which contains every official live and studio album to date plus 13 unreleased discs. Released in October 2021, it is the most extensive release of previously unreleased music the band has made from its vast archives.