Although Judas Priest went on hiatus following Halford’s departure, the remaining members of the band spent the next four years searching for a replacement for him. Known singers who auditioned for, or were offered to join, the band during this period include Steve Grimmett ( Grim Reaper , Lionsheart and ex- Onslaught ), Ralf Scheepers ( Primal Fear and ex- Gamma Ray ), Whitfield Crane ( Ugly Kid Joe ), former Accept singer David Reece , and a then-unknown Devin Townsend . Tim “Ripper” Owens (who had previously sung in Winter’s Bane and a Judas Priest tribute band called British Steel) was hired in 1996 as Judas Priest’s new singer. This line-up released two studio albums, Jugulator in 1997 (in 1999, the song ” Bullet Train ” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance ) and Demolition in 2001. A considerable stylistic departure from prior releases, the former has been characterised as groove metal and the latter as nu metal , both receiving mixed reviews. The line-up also gave rise to two live double-albums – ’98 Live Meltdown (1998) and Live in London (2003), the latter of which had a live DVD counterpart.
Although Judas Priest went on hiatus following Halford’s departure
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