Pottstown, PA (WFN) -- Heavy metal musician Tim Owens may be better known as "Ripper" but don't expect him to rip his former bandmates in Judas Priest.

Owens replaced Priest singer Rob Halford and filled in as lead singer for years -- a story that inspired the 2001 Mark Wahlberg film, "Rock Star."

These days, things have changed: Owens has his own band, Iced Earth, and Judas Priest is reuniting in its original lineup.

No one is more excited than Ripper, who says he's still "best of friends" with his former bandmates. In fact, says Iced Earth would tour with Priest "in a heartbeat."

There's no set date for the launch of the Priest reunion tour, but Ripper should be pretty busy for a while. Iced Earth just released a new album, "The Glorious Burden," and will soon be touring Europe and the United States.

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