Customer Reviews

Beyond Fear

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A few of the 80s warhorses are still putting out quality product, but how many times have you wondered if there is a new band out there that you could get into? I know I've taken a chance on quite a few new (not 'nu') metal bands that left me $15.00 poorer but not much else. Most of the time the music seems promising and then the 'vocals' kick in. I guess they are supposed to sound evil but all I can think of is General Grievous (Star Wars Episode III). It's cartoonish - plain and simple.

I recently read an interview with Ripper Owens on the Web and found out he had his own outfit, Beyond Fear, on tour in Europe. I looked it up and listened to a few clips that sounded promising. Bought it the next day. Yes! I finally found it. A fresh sounding new band with excellent vocals. Get this CD if you want real metal without cookie monster or General Grievous ruining the experience.

I give it 4 stars because there are a couple weak tracks but the good material is not merely good - it's sublime! Scream Machine and Human Race are two of the best songs I have heard in 15 years. No lie. This project deserves to succeed. I've never heard of the other guys in the band but they are pretty hot players. Ripper, if he want to, can safely put the spectre of Priest and Iced Earth behind him. His new band is too good.

As a metal maniac growing up in the 80's and watching power metal fade in the 90's and nearly disappear in the 2000's, replaced by a boatload of junk that they call "metal", Beyond Fear is a refreshing and powerfully moving change. It's nice to see some of the 80's style power metal return with today's technology.

If you have an ounce grass-roots power metal blood left in your veins, Beyond Fear will give you a much-needed rush and will leave you begging for more. Even my metal-head 10 & 7 year old boys love this album. (What a proud dad I am!!)

The Bottom Line: This is a must-have album to any metal collection. ROCK ON BEYOND FEAR!!

When I first heard the Priest Jugulator album and then the Live Meltdown, I was sold totally on Ripper.

With Jugulator he proved that he could sing every note that The Metal God himself could hit and then those even higher and those lower. Priest had a much heavier sound and it was an a sound that I embraced even being a Halford's Priest from the late 1970's.

With beyond Fear, Ripper shows that he does not need Priest to do what he is capable of doing.

To me this album is better than even the Iced Earth: Gettysburg CD. This CD is a full on in your face, ram it down your throat to what metal was and should be.

Ripper has surrounded himself with 4 other highly talented musicians and together they have created a CD that I can truly bang my head to and make my neighbor's ears bleed.

While I would not classify it as Thrash as I have heard some call it, the music and sound are fast, furious and brutal.

While Halford may be the Metal God, but Ripper is the Metal Messiah, delivering the word and the goods

I have been a fan of Tim "the Ripper Owens since his days with Judas Priest. Unfortunatly he didn't get accepted in Priest as much as he should have by fans. After Priest he went on to become the new lead singer of Iced Earth. I really thought that Tim Owens fit the band well and I hope he stays with Iced Earth. But of course like most bands there is some down time in between albums. So Tim got his other band rolling "Beyond Fear". This is a solid album it is quite heavy and songs are catchy. Beyond Fear moreless is Tim's band there is five songs that he wrote all by himself and are quite good by the way. I really hope that Tim gets to do more writing in Iced Earth because he is a good song writer and this album proves it. The other songs on this album Tim Wrote with guitarist John Comprix.This album to me doesn't have a bad song on it every song is very good. Musicly I would say it is similar to Wintersbane ( another band Tim Owens was in). The music is heavier than wintersbane but they seem similar to me. The lead guitar work makes me think of Pantera or Testiment sometimes even Iron Maiden. Vocally it is typical Tim Owens vocals very priest like which is expected since he was in priest. All though there are a few songs where Tim Owens sings differently. His vocals seem heavier and more aggressive than in the past. To me I feel fits the music very well.But if you like good solid metal that kicks you in your teeth than certainly pick this album up I don't think you will be disapointed.

this cd is AMAZING!! i love this cd!! the first song i heard was And... you will die! off some comp cd, and i was hooked.. i could not WAIT to get this cd!! I LOVE THIS CD!! it brings back the old ballads that i have been missing in my nu-metal collection! I NEEDED hard riffs, beautiful melodies, and amazing music i guess.. this cd is great!!

get it NOW!

This is the kind of real Heavy Metal that needs to come back. Tim "the ripper" Owens has a voice that not only carries perfect notes but that can also break all the glass out of a 30 story skyscraper. (Okay, maby only 10 stories). This CD is also loaded with killer guitar solos and the drums are simply unbelievable. While the songwriting is not quite up there with Alice In Chains first try, the 5 star rating is for the quality of the musicianship, the recording, and the heart pounding rock!

I was initially blown away by Ripper Owen's voice on Live Meltdown 98 and sought out all of his other work. I now have all of his cd's including his Priest and Iced Earth material. I also have his rare bands which include Wintersbane, Brainicide and Seattle (coverband). I am a huge fan of his and would rank him in the top five singers of all time along with Halford, Tate and Dio. I was initially disapointed when I heard he was released from Priest but in retrospect it turned out well. He gave us a awesome Iced Earth album and an even better solo album. I guess it's more of a band project but Beyond Fear should be up there as album of the year. All of the songs are heavy and melodic. I believe Ripper is sitting on a goldmine with the song "Dreams come true". This could be a huge hit if promoted right and is truly one of the best ballads of all time. If you're a fan of Priest, IE, Maiden, Dio, etc you will love this cd. I could see fans of newer type metal such as Godsmack also taking a chance and liking this cd. Anyways looking forward to more releases from Tim either through Beyond Fear or Iced Earth. Keep it heavy.

This is the best post Priest album to date along with Perpetual Flame with Ywngie.

Ripper comes to life with this stellar release. Fat, fast and furious. A metalheads delight!!

Tim the Ripper Owens has branched out since he was removed, so to speak form the Judas Priest club. His stuff with Priest was a mixed bag of good and bad. His voice was a perfect match as far as I'm concerned for Priest, however the song writing while he was there was lacking. Jugulator was a decent comeback, but Demolition was just bad for the most part.

He then went on to sing for Iced Earth and did a very respectable job replacing Matt Barlow who had left to work for the government in homeland security. Well he has his own band now and it totally rocks. You could say that in some ways, it's the Judas Priest cd that should have been made. It does have that Priest flare about it, but it's darker and heavier. Lyrically it's alright, but nothing earth shattering, just a good dose of metal. The guys laying down the music are very capable players indeed. You wont find anything new here as far as flashy techique goes, but what you will find is a heavy groove and thick sounding guitars. This cd is packed full of fork eating madness. It has no soft stuff to speak of and or fluff, just hungry man food! It's downright Mmmm Mmmm good with no appetizers anywhere to be found, just meat and potatoes rock!!

All in all a great release from a excellent metal vocalist.

After recording 5 studio cds, 2 live cds, 1 live dvd and touring the world a number of times with metal giants Judas Priest, Iced Earth and Malmsteen, Tim "Ripper" Owens finally decided to start his own metal project from Ohio; and he's come up with a great name: Beyond Fear.

Released in 2006 this self-titled album starts out strong with the first seven songs and tends to fizzle out with the last five.

The good news is that Ripper has surrounded himself with some truly stellar musicians who know how to kick axe without masturbating on their instruments. The playing is super tight with a lot of start/stop riffing, while the Morrisound production is killer heavy and crystal clear. I would describe their overall sound/style as a more modern-sounding Sanctuary (i.e. the precursor to Nevermore).

As for individual songs, allow me to comment on the first seven: "Scream Machine" and "The Human Race" rank with some of the best metal songs of all time, while "And... You Will Die," "Save Me" and "Telling Lies" are no slouches; yes, they're kinda simple but they're catchy and full of energy. "Dreams Come True" is a decent 'ballad' with a great theme ("sleep" doesn't refer to literal sleep), while "Coming at You" is a stand-out anthem with a unique chant-like chorus; I'm sure it's a great live number like "Living After Midnight," albeit way better.

Unfortunately the final five songs are mediocre by comparison, not to mention they all have a samey-sounding vibe, which makes it hard to distinguish between songs. Hence, the disk starts with a bang and then just sorta peters out. Still the good songs are worth the price of admission.

Eight of the twelve songs Owens co-wrote with guitarist John Comprix (which likely means that Comprix wrote the music while Owens wrote the lyrics and vocal melodies). Ripper wrote the other four singlehandedly. "Save Me" and "Coming at You" prove that he has a knack for writing simple but catchy and energetic numbers. Anyway, they're a good writing team; I just hope their next effort will be more consistent. To do this they'll need to detect & delete the filler and finish writing songs before recording, if you know what I mean.

How does BEYOND FEAR stack up to Owens' five other studio disks? Well, it's an impressive effort in many ways but no cigar. Sorry. JUGULATOR, DEMOLITION, THE GLORIOUS BURDEN, FRAMING ARMAGEDDON and HEART OF A KILLER (Winters Bane) are all better, more consistent albums. (I admit that I didn't really appreciate JUGULATOR when it was first released but here twelve years later, I gotta admit, it's axe-kickin' from beginning to end.

Although not as technically good or consistent as those other albums, BEYOND FEAR has more positive energy and drive, making it a great cd to work out to (or whatever trips your trigger). This explains the overwelming stellar reviews here.

One thing I really do appreciate about Beyond Fear is their positive, mature vibe. Although "Scream Machine" is sci-fi oriented in the manner of Rob Halford's many "er" songs, most of the rest of the numbers, although not deep or intricate by any means, address mature topics in a positive manner. There's even a spiritual edge. So don't expect any juvenile crapola like "Gutted Like A Fish" or "Kiss Satan and Die!"

Speaking of the song themes, I found it interesting that one reviewer chastised Owens for his supposedly anti-Bush stance on "Telling Lies," maintaining that politics have no place in metal. The funny thing is that when I first read those lyrics I assumed it was an anti-looney-left song. Obviously Ripper wrote the lyrics ambiguous enough to be open to interpretation.

Lastly, there's more to Beyond Fear than meets the eye. Look below the surface.

PERSONAL GRADE: B