Reviews : Albums : Beyond Fear, "Beyond Fear"

Teaming up with former Winter's Bane cohort Dennis Hayes, Beyond Fear is Tim "Ripper" Owens' new outlet for music penned by the now-famous singer. Writing 7 of Beyond Fear's songs, and co-writing the rest with lead guitarist John Comprix, Owens finally gets a chance to show off his songwriting abilities, something he was never quite able to do in his eight-year run with Judas Priest, or his appearance on Iced Earth's The Glorious Burden in 2004, mostly overshadowed by long-running band leaders and music writers.

Let us steer clear of the cliche schlop that will mar other reviews and say this isn't Priest and this isn't Iced Earth, but what it is, is a sonic slab of traditionally-influenced metal that can nestle somewhere on the shelves between Painkiller and The Dark Saga and fit right in next to that esteemed company. Combining speed, Owen's dual approach of deeper and high-pitched traditional metal vocals, and some blitzing solos from Comprix, Beyond Fear will surely appeal to Owens fans, and should have the ability to warm up those who label him as a Halford clone.

With a classic-style ballad nestled halfway through the disc ("Dreams Come True") and lightning fast tunes the rest of the way through, Beyond Fear is a winner, effectively evolving from the Priest style Owens has always enjoyed and separating himself from the metal titans, as well as his work with Iced Earth. Driving rhythms, plenty of traditional solos, and a quickened pace with plenty of harmonies alongside top notch production and a sound something like Iced Earth-meets-Halford's Resurrection-meets-current day Megadeth makes Beyond Fear a winner. So it's now official, all the Ripper naysayers can go home and hop on the message boards to bitch about Blaze Bailey, because this guy is the real deal. Great voice, great music, excellent record.

Standout Tracks    Scream Machine    Coming At You    Telling Lies    Your Time Has Come

Bob.D