The band's membership has seen much turnover, including a revolving cast of drummers in the 1970s and the departure of singer Rob Halford in 1992. Tim "Ripper" Owens, formerly of Winter's Bane, replaced Halford in 1996 and recorded two albums with Judas Priest, before Halford returned to the band in 2003. The current line-up consists of Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis. The band's best-selling album is 1982's Screaming for Vengeance, with their most commercially successful line-up featuring Ian Hill, Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, guitarist K. K. Downing, and drummer Dave Holland. Tipton and Hill are the only two members of the band to appear on every album.
Halford's operatic vocal style and the twin guitar sound of Downing and Tipton have been a major influence on heavy metal bands. Judas Priest's image of leather, spikes, and other taboo articles of clothing were widely influential during the glam metal era of the 1980s. The Guardian referred to British Steel as the record that defines heavy metal. Despite a decline in exposure during the mid-1990s, the band has once again seen a resurgence, including worldwide tours, being inaugural inductees into the VH1 Rock Honors in 2006, receiving a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2010, and having their songs featured in video games such as Guitar Hero and the Rock Band series. In 2022, Judas Priest were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Priest
Studio albums
Rocka Rolla (1974)
Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Sin After Sin (1977)
Stained Class (1978)
Killing Machine (1978)
British Steel (1980)
Point of Entry (1981)
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Defenders of the Faith (1984)
Turbo (1986)
Ram It Down (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
Jugulator (1997)
Demolition (2001)
Angel of Retribution (2005)
Nostradamus (2008)
Redeemer of Souls (2014)
Firepower (2018)
Invincible Shield (2024)
Bloodsuckers
Judas Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Justice wrong or right
You dig up the dirt ignore the hurt
And spit out all your lies
Conscience free as we bleed
Hypocrisy born from greed
Don't preach to me of integrity
The judge's thrilled
He's dressed to kill
On TV every night
Subliminal so absurd
It's criminal yet can't be heard
Bloodsuckers how can they sleep at night
Bloodsuckers nothing but parasites
You will be on the stand today
They cannot harm you it's okay
But they will destroy your family
And drag you through hell and tragedy
A circus heading into town
Complete with cameras and the clowns
The First Amendment shot to bits
The world is watching just for kicks
As the day drew close to hand
For all to view the faceless man
He put out the lights it's sad
Now who's to blame for that?
Intimidate twist what you say
With their fine points of law
They lose the case but pontificate
And then appeal some more
Subliminal it's so absurd
It's criminal but can't be heard
Bloodsuckers how can they sleep at night
Bloodsuckers nothing but parasites
Bloodsuckers how can they sleep at night
Bloodsuckers nothing but parasites
Promise to tell the truth
The whole truth
And nothing but the truth
So help me God!
You will be on the stand today
They cannot harm you it's okay
They will destroy your family
And drag you through hell and tragedy
Bloodsuckers parasites
The lyrics to "Bloodsuckers" by Judas Priest are a scathing commentary on the corrupt and often hypocritical nature of justice systems and those who operate within them. The song opens with a dismissal of morality and justice, with the singer accusing those in power of ignoring the harm they cause and spreading lies with impunity. The chorus emphasizes this by calling them "bloodsuckers" and "parasites," highlighting their draining and destructive impact on society.
The second verse delves further into the injustice of the legal system, describing a judge who is more interested in theatrics and media attention than actually upholding justice. The third verse takes on the media itself, portraying it as a circus that feeds off the suffering and tragedy of others, with the First Amendment (which guarantees freedom of speech and the press in the United States) "shot to bits."
The bridge of the song features lines taken directly from a courtroom oath, emphasizing the idea that the people in power claim to be upholding the law and the truth, but are in reality just causing pain and destruction for their own gain. The final verse ties it all together, describing the way these "bloodsuckers" twist words and exploit legal loopholes to continue their destruction and maintain their positions of power. Overall, the song portrays a bleak and cynical view of justice, one in which honesty and integrity have been twisted into tools for oppression and exploitation.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't speak to me of morality
I don't want to hear about what's right or wrong
Justice wrong or right
Let's not talk about justice or what's fair
You dig up the dirt ignore the hurt
You'll uncover the secrets that cause pain and ignore the consequences
And spit out all your lies
Then you'll spread your lies without a second thought
Conscience free as we bleed
We don't have any guilt despite the harm we cause others
Hypocrisy born from greed
Our hypocrisy stems from our greed for power and control
Don't preach to me of integrity
I don't want to hear about being honest and having strong moral principles
Or your legal highs
Or your legally questionable actions
The judge's thrilled
The judge is excited about presiding over this case
He's dressed to kill
The judge is dressed up formally and looks intimidating
On TV every night
The case is being covered on TV on a regular basis
Subliminal so absurd
The messages being sent that are hidden below the surface are ridiculous
It's criminal yet can't be heard
These messages are illegal but aren't able to be detected
Bloodsuckers how can they sleep at night
People who take advantage of others without remorse are referred to as bloodsuckers
Bloodsuckers nothing but parasites
These bloodsuckers are nothing more than parasites feeding on the vulnerable
You will be on the stand today
You will be giving testimony in court today
They cannot harm you it's okay
They won't be able to hurt you, don't worry
But they will destroy your family
But they will harm your loved ones and cause chaos in your life
And drag you through hell and tragedy
And your life will be turned upside-down as a result
A circus heading into town
The entire case is being played out like a spectacle
Complete with cameras and the clowns
There are people who are acting like buffoons and the media is all over it
The First Amendment shot to bits
The First Amendment, which guarantees free speech, has been completely disregarded
The world is watching just for kicks
People are paying attention purely for entertainment value
As the day drew close to hand
As the day of the hearing approached
For all to view the faceless man
For everyone to see the anonymous person on trial
He put out the lights it's sad
This person took their own life before the trial could begin
Now who's to blame for that?
Now people are questioning who is responsible for this tragic outcome
Intimidate twist what you say
The opposition will try to intimidate and twist your words to make you look bad
With their fine points of law
They will use legal jargon and technicalities to make their point
They lose the case but pontificate
They might not win the case, but they will still act as if they did and talk down to you
And then appeal some more
And they'll keep appealing the decision until they get what they want
Promise to tell the truth
Swear to tell the truth on the witness stand
The whole truth
Tell the entire truth, not just part of it
And nothing but the truth
Don't lie or hold anything back
So help me God!
I pledge to be truthful and honest with the help of God
Bloodsuckers parasites
Reiteration that the people taking advantage of others are akin to parasites
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLENN RAYMOND TIPTON, KENNETH DOWNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ALinkBetweenSouls
The most underrated Priest album
@hunterburroughs3296
Jugulator, Ram It Down, And Point Of Entry are all better and more underappreciated in my opinion. Demolition has some good songs on it but it has another group of songs on it that blow so hard. Half of the album is good and the rest of it is weak.
@msu-bd8od
Reasonable
@Jorge.Painkiller
@@hunterburroughs3296 IMO, Jugulator is the most underrated, Solid almost from start to end, RID and POE have some weaak and cheesy songs
@hunterburroughs3296
@@Jorge.Painkiller I don't dislike any songs on Ram It Down but Point Of Entry has 1 or 2 stinkers on it
@anti-satanpro-life8531
Yep
@Odins_Ulfhedinn
I like demolition and Jugulator both with Tim ripping on vocals. Every other Judas priest album with Halford are awesome too but i'm glad tim did these 2 albums.
@jacksonrandyrhoads6089
There are 2 amazing live albums also
@sandyjensen5233
Badass song, the ripper albums are totally under rated
@StonedReviewer
This song is pretty classic JP sounding. Tim even sounds like Halford in the first few verses