Judas Priest's 1990 album Painkiller was the last to feature vocalist Rob Halford until his return in 2005.
Painkiller was Judas Priest's twelfth studio album, released in September 1990. It followed the band's earlier work with Columbia Records and marked the studio debut of drummer Scott Travis, whose forceful double-bass style became a major part of the album's sound.
The album arrived during a turbulent period. Judas Priest had recently faced a highly publicized civil lawsuit alleging that subliminal messages in their music contributed to suicide attempts; the case was dismissed in August 1990. After touring Painkiller, Halford left the band in May 1992 to pursue other musical projects, including Fight.
Judas Priest continued with Tim “Ripper” Owens, who sang on Jugulator and Demolition. Halford returned for 2005's Angel of Retribution, making Judas Priest the canonical answer—not Dio, who sang for Black Sabbath, or the singers associated with the other choices.