Beyond Fear: Beyond Fear

The world at large first heard of Tim "Ripper" Owens when he stepped into the shoes of Rob Halford to front the Metal Juggernaut that is Judas Priest. After recording and touring two studio albums and two live ones plus a DVD he joined forces with Jon Schaffer to record Iced Earth's epic The Glorious Burden". The success of the album was a fantastic result of this teamwork and brought new fans to both Iced Earth and increased Ripper's following all the more. When a break in Iced Earth's touring schedule happened Owens was able to focus his energies on something that had been on his mind for awhile; the recording and release of his own material. Instead of doing an expected "Tim Owens Band" album the singer opted to put together players that he had known for years. From there the die was cast and the result Beyond Fear. Tim brings to life the Rock to Riches story by taking care of ones friends when the opportunity arose. Beyond Fear not only holds a powerful, strong presence in name but mainly in the strength of the material on this self-titled release. As you start the album you instantly are aware of the level of vocal range that Owens possesses. His register will break glass in your house if this album is played at too high a volume and the band itself is a core of solid players. Beyond Fear is made up of John Comprix (lead guitar), Dwayne Bihary (rhythm guitar), Dennis Hayes (bass) and Eric Elkins (drums). Hayes also comes from Owen's band Winter's Bane and did work with Seven Witches at one time. Comprix is an excellent find as his guitar shredding fits perfect against the material showcased on the album. His axemanship is blistering at points all around and I think this release will find him held in high regard going forward. Metal fans will be wondering where he has been all this time for he is that good. The drumming, bass and other guitar work is nothing to brush off either and quite honestly the whole group seems to mean business.

"Scream Machine" will catch the ear of the Priest fans as it has a very "Painkiller" vibe to it and "Coming At You" surely has the crowd-chanting capability built into it. Other tracks that I felt where the strongest on the album fall to tracks like "The Human Race" which is a very driving traditional styled Metal number. "And You Will Die" just begs for the fist-pumping audience to participate. Those that were lucky enough to catch the "Metal Insurgence Tour" of 2005 got to witness just how incredible this material comes across live. Given that I feel that this album is a must have for a number of reasons. Ripper put this together based on experiences and learning from his own life and then from working with two of the greatest Metal bands around. You cannot go wrong after that and it is surely time to find yourself Beyond Fear. The world of Metal has a new super power and its one hell of an ally to the cause.

Track Listing
1. Scream Machine
2. And…You Will Die
3. Save Me
4. The Human Race
5. Coming At You
6. Dreams Come True
7. Telling Lies
8. I Don't Need This
9. Words Of Wisdom
10. My Last Words
11. Your Time Has Come
12. The Faith

Added: April 12th 2006
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
Related Link: Tim Owens Website
Hits: 3730
Language: english

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