Customer Reviews

Baptizm of Fire

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having known Glenn Tipton from Judas Priest for so long, I was intrigued when I heard he was to release a solo album. I'm also a big fan of guitarists in general - particularly Yngwie Malmsteen (that is not to say I like all Malmsteen-esque guitarists - Tipton is quite different to YJM I think), so I was expecting an album with no vocals, just heavily-laden with awesome riffs and insane guitar solos...

But I was mistaken, and pleasantly surprised, with the direction Tipton chose to go in. And singing the vocals himself! He's not bad at all, even managing a Rob Halford-like high-pitch scream at one point! Though there's only one track without vocals (the title track itself) the guitar work throughout the album is - as expected from Glenn - hard, tough, grinding, lightning fast and with some technically great solos full of intensity and emotion... really great stuff...

But as a whole, BAPTIZM OF FIRE is only slightly reminiscent of Judas Priest (IMO), as I think Glenn has definately gone in his own direction. There is a great rhythm about the music, great bass, some totally AWESOME drum work from the legendary COZY POWELL (about the time when he did the FACING THE ANIMAL album with Yngwie Malmsteen - one of the best albums of all time and maybe his last work before his tragic death...).

Highlights are "HARD CORE," "FUEL ME UP," "BAPTIZM OF FIRE," "VOODOO BROTHER" and my favourite, "THE HEALER." But every single song is great, IMO. Just forget the money - this album just has to be listened to!

I just hope Glenn can find the time and inspiration to create another great masterwork...

The reason there was such a gap between Judas Priest's PAINKILLER (1990) and JUGULATOR (1997), other than the fact that they had to find someone worthy of replacing Halford, was perhaps because guitarist and main songwriter Glenn Tipton wrote and recorded TWO ALBUMS worth of material under his own name -- EDGE OF THE WORLD and BAPTIZM OF FIRE.

Label executives rejected Glenn's first attempt, EDGE OF THE WORLD, on the grounds that it wasn't metal enough and was too "old school," i.e. they wanted younger musicians to accompany him. So Glenn went back to the drawing board and came up with BAPTIZM OF FIRE (while EDGE OF THE WORLD was eventually releaed in 2006).

Although I heard a couple of tracks off of BAPTIZM when it came out in 1997 I never got around to buying it until a year ago. The cd features numerous guest musicians in the bass and drum departments, including Metallica's present bassist Robert Trujillo. The songwriting is stellar & diverse, while the production is crystal clear and punchy -- energetic and heavy, but not crushingly heavy.

As for Glenn's lead vocals, they really prevented me from appreciating this disk at first. In fact, it took me an ENTIRE YEAR to get used to them enough to enjoy the songs and musicianship! Glenn's vocals resemble Dave Mustaine at bit, but way more course and strained, not to mention grungey at times. They're not necessarily bad; they're just not good. In fact they remind me of a dummy vocal track that a guitarist would put on a demo tape to help the singer get a grip on the guitarist's vision of the song.

The problem with Glenn trying to sing is that his vocals will automatically be compared to the singer of his primary band -- Rob Halford. Halford isn't called the 'metal god' for nothing, and Glenn just can't compete in the vocal department, which is why he's the guitarist of Judas Priest not the singer.

That said, after a year I was able to finally warm up to Glenn's highly unique vocals and appreciate this work. BAPTIZM is similar in style and diversity to DEMOLITION, while at the same time not sounding like that disk at all. Here's a rundown of the songs:

1.) "Hardcore." This would be a great opener but it's held back by Glenn's vocals. The vocals on the chorus are particularly irritating. But I got used to it and appreciate it now. Intriguing and surprisingly candid lyrics about porn/masturbation addiction (Huh?!) I think. RATING: 4/5 Stars.
2.) "Paint it Black." The original by the Stones is a masterpiece. This hard rock version is barely passable. It fails to move and the emotion is missing. RATING: 2.5/5 Stars.
3.) "Enter the Storm." This is one of the album's highlights. It starts out fairly unimpressive but then takes an unexpected doom metal turn. Intriguing lyrics on spiritual rebirth. RATING: 4.5/5 Stars.
4.) "Fuel Me Up." Solid driving number about substance addictions and the numerous talented people who inevitably fall prey. RATING: 4/5 Stars.
5.) "Extinct." Another solid driving number. This time Glenn addresses the fear of becoming a has-been. RATING: 4/5 Stars.
6.) "Baptizm of Fire." This is a fiery instrumental (except for one brief stanza) full of great licks, chords and bass playing. Seriously, the bass playing by Billy Sheehan will blow your mind and Glenn's leads are smokin' and unrestrained -- his best ever. In the sole lyrical passage Glenn states that if you want to meet God, He's right next to him -- huh? RATING: 5/5 Stars.
7.) "The Healer." This song is killer from beginning to end. Glenn's vocals actually work pretty well, but if he had a real singer this would've been a huge metal hit. No kidding. The lyrics deal with charlatan healers who are more interested in bringing attention to themselves and putting on a show rather than introducing people to the true Healer. The secondary chorus that starts with "Look at me" is exceptional and potent as it builds to climax; unfortunately it's only heard once. It should have been repeated. RATING: 5/5 Stars.
8.) "Cruise Control." This one features a unique percussion-oriented start/stop riff and great lyrics about breaking free from the rut of monotony. I can certainly relate to that! RATING: 4.5/5 Stars.
9.) "Kill or be Killed." Good speedy/thrashy piece. Glenn's vocals work well on the bridge. RATING: 4/5 Stars.
10.) "Voodoo Brother." This is another song where Glenn's vocals work pretty well, especially on the catchy chorus. This should have been a radio hit. RATING: 4.5/5 Stars.
11.) "Left for Dead." This is an off-the-beaten-track folk piece that starts with a banjo. Catchy and poppy. RATING: 3/5 Stars.

This '06 reissue has 2 BONUS TRACKS not featured on the original '97 release:

1.) "Himalaya." An epic rock piece about Glenn's visit to Tibet that is so moving it's a downright religious experience (for him, that is). RATING: 3.5/5 Stars.
2.) "New Breed." A fun pop rock track about how Glenn feels different from everyone else. RATING: 3/5 Stars.

While these bonus songs are okay they're not worth going out of your way to obtain, unless you're a completist.

BAPTIZM OF FIRE is a real grower. You have to adapt to Glenn's unique vocals to appreciate it, but it's worth it if you can. In addition to the stellar musicianship and songcraft, the mature and intriguing lyrical themes are a highlight; don't worry, no fantastical and juvenile Halfordisms here (e.g. "Painkiller" and "Hell Rider").

Many feel that Glenn should have enlisted a real vocalist for this project, and I agree, but then it wouldn't truly be "Glenn Tipton" would it? In any event, the vocals hold it back from being an A-level recording.

PERSONAL RATING: B+

One of the greatest lyrics writters in the world return with an awesome metal release. Metal guitar player from one of the heaviest influencial bands, Judas Priest, releases this awesome heavy release. He is right with the lyrics about overdosing too, thats how it is. Keep up the good work man. Wish he made another solo album.

Sure, the music on this cd is outstanding, but I think Glen should stick to just guitar playing. I didn't really care too much for the vocals. I think he should have hired a singer instead of doing it himself. That's just my opinion. Obviously, most of the reviewers here don't agree with me on that. Other than the vocals, this cd is great. I particulary liked the cover of Rolling Stones' Paint It Black. Glen has always been a great guitarist, but he's no Tim Owens.

Glenn Tipton shows why he writes the song for Judas Priest. This is an outstanding solo album that hopefully will propel Glenn into the ranks of the great guitarists. Baptizm of fire is an excellent insturmental tune and Glenn shines on that and the whole album. The only drawback is his vocals, on some songs they are great, but on a few he sounds too coarse and strained for my liking, but that is a very small complaint. If you love Judas Priest, you will defintely want this one in your collection. Well done Glenn-KEEP IT UP!!

Glenn Tipton's solo album is a must for those who live for classic British metal. The music itself is very similar to the Priest albums "Jugulator" and "Painkiller", so needless to say the sound is heavy and aggressive. Glenn Tipton's voice is interesting to hear on disc, and it is extremely able in delivering the melodic metal associated with Glenn's songwriting for the last 25 years. Many talented musicians abound on this disc, in particular the late Black Sabbath and Rainbow drummer Cozy Powell.

This is a great piece of work, from a great musician. Glenn was/is great as a guitarist/songwriter with Judas Priest, and with this album proves that he is great on his own. Let's hope that when he has time in between Priest projects that he will put some more of his solo material out!

Let's face it, Judas Priest had their name submitted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame many moons ago, even though the stuffy, metal-shunning critics who make these inductions haven't put them there, nor will they probably ever. Power ballads, strong riffing, incredible trade-off solos, screaming dual-guitar leads, anthemic rock orchestrations, radio-ready singles, concept albums, good songs, bad songs, they have done it all. As far as live concerts go, I have been attending them since the mid-1970's, and Priest is in my top five best shows. All that aside, it's good to see band members in supergroups like Priest go out and expand their horizons a bit. Baptizm Of Fire by Glenn Tipton is the result, well, actually the second result. Edge Of The World, with John Entwistle and Cozy Powell, came first but was canned by the record company until its eventual release in 2006.

There is only ONE thing missing from this album which keeps it from gaining five stars in my book...STRONG VOCALS. Heavy metal NEEDS a great vocalist for it to carry the raw power it is intended for. Many new metal bands these days lack that very thing. Just an aside...I think somewhere along the way, these new metal bands simply could not find guys who could sing, so they have incorporated people who can scream and yell like friggin' idiots, case in point, Avenged Sevenfold and, oh, I don't know, there are so many to choose from...how about All That Remains? Great guitar work, idiotic singing. Stop yelling and sing, for God's sake!

Anyway, on this album, Glenn TRIES to sing, but let's face it, he's NOT a singer. It's kind of nostalgic to hear him sing, but the nostalgia wears off pretty quickly. If he would have hired a singer to do the deed here, this would have been just as good as a Judas Priest album. Five stars for an exceptional group of songs and commendable guitar work. Minus one star for sub-par vocals.

This solo effort by Tipton is amazing. However,if you are expecting a Judas Priest type sound, you won't find it here. What you will find is real insight to the talent Tipton has as not only a guitarist but song writer as well. While Priest has some great, and dare I say, catchy tunes, you won't find any of that on "Baptizm"

The songs are complex and have a lot of depth to just classify them as "metal" would not do them justice. I find them very much like a film you watch over and over and catch something new each time you see it. Glenn covers a good spectrum here. Everything from the raw and raunchy "Hard Core" to the epic "Himalaya" which really shows the influence of the film music that Tipton loves. My personal fave has to be "The Healer" makes me think of Rasputin.

It does appear however, that not everyone is crazy about Tipton's singing. I have to admit, I was unsure at first too, but having listened to this many times, I just really can't imagine anyone else singing these songs. Glenn has done a brilliant job of making them his own.

To say Glenn shines would be and understatement. He explodes a musical masterpiece with "Baptizm" and it has quickly made it one of my faves! He's got a lot to be proud of with this one.

This record really shows a lot a diversity, if you buy and are expecting to hear a priest style record you will not get one. Glenn did an excellent job with this, it is very metal as far as the instruments go, as far a vocals go it sounds a little like bob dylan. Usually that would be a bad thing to someone like me but glenn takes dylan's style of singing and really pulls it off. very raspy, at times not very clear, but it really suits the music. The high points are Fuel Me Up, Hard Core, The Healer, And the title track Baptizm of Fire it has very catchy Riffs, Melodies, And Smoking Leads but that is what you should always expect from Glenn.

Overall it has high and low moments and at times is a little slow, but I think it grows on you over time, took a while for me to get used to it.....but give this a lot of listens, and give it a fair shot and I hope you enjoy because I sure have.