TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS: 'There Is No Doubt' That There Has Been A Resurgence Of Classic Metal Sound

In a new interview with Jaimunji of Metal-Roos, former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens was asked if he thinks there has been a resurgence of the "old-school '70s, '80s metal sound" in recent years, especially with bands like IRON MAIDEN and PRIEST still doing well on the road. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think there's no doubt there is. It's funny — since the mid-'90s, early 2000s, after that, probably 2000 on, it really started rushing back, it started coming back. These bands, especially the old classic bands, PRIEST and MAIDEN and all that, really helped with everything. But yeah, people wanna see it. It's a good show. Most of the bands actually sing and have real stuff behind them playing. It's not fake. It's not on their laptop. I mean, obviously there's some old bands that can't sing anymore, so they have dubbed in vocals, but it's a concert. It's a real show."

Owens also talked about the pros and cons of having a bigger stage production, particularly as it relates to the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs.

"Listen, I think whatever the show is, I don't need to go to a show with a big stage show," he explained. "I can go with a backdrop and a great band playing. And I'm, I'm happy with that. Back when we started, there were some bands like that too when I started that just went up and did that, and then as they grew older, they got bigger. Obviously METALLICA never went up at first — when they played, they were young and coming up, they just had the back scrims and stuff. But everybody's different, and it's nice to see the bigger shows. But it's hard to afford the bigger shows. You've gotta have a bigger crew. We probably have 12 people on the crew or something like that, so it becomes kind of expensive."

KK'S PRIEST will release its sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", on September 29 via the Austrian rock and metal empire Napalm Records.

Joining Owens and former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing in KK'S PRIEST are guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE),

According to a press release, "The Sinner Rides Again" contains "nine tracks of pure hellfire," produced and written by Downing and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen.

KK'S PRIEST will embark October U.K. headlining tour. The "Priests, Killers & Witches" tour starts at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on Saturday, October 7, and visits London, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham. Special guest on all dates will be former IRON MAIDEN vocalist Paul Di'Anno who will be performing a full set of classics straight from the first two MAIDEN records, and opening up the bill is BURNING WITCHES.

KK'S PRIEST's debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", was released in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.