Oh, I agree with you! Though his high range has definitely suffered with age, I'd actually say his lower register has far more character than it did back when he was in his prime. Ripper is a great metal vocalist, I wont deny him that. But there's a character and soul in Rob's voice which is notably abscent in Ripper's. Though the OP was asking if Rob or Ripper was better for Priest, and even if Rob couldn't be in Priest, I still think Ralf Scheepers would be a better choice for Priest than Ripper! But even he isn't quite as good as the metal god himself! He is getting better though, and maturity is suiting his voice well :)

As for Rob, well, his voice has suffered in some areas due to age, but in other's it is arguably better now than it ever was. He will always be the voice of Judas Priest.

		B Dharma wrote:
		Rob may not hit the clean high screams like he used to but I'll take his other vocals right now over any that Tim does.. Rob's  voice is unique and intense compared with the monster growling and tuned down voice of Tim's.. NOSTRADAMUS displays an incredibly soulful vocal and prolific writing style by ROB, a level that Tim just can't reach..    (Quoting Message by Angelic Storm from Wednesday, August 05, 2009 10:07:39 AM)   Angelic Storm wrote:   Halford in his heyday was a lot better than Ripper is now. As for now...Well, Ripper can hit the high notes a lot better than Rob can now! Though like someone else said, Halford has that little something called charisma. Which even though he cant sing as well as the Ripper today, that fact is why Id still take him in Priest today over Ripper. In any case, if I had to have another vocalist singing for Priest other than Rob, I'd rather have Ralf Scheepers than Ripper. But that would take him away from Primal Fear, which I would not want! lol Edited at: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 11:44:53 AM