Well, you kinda knew Ripper would come out screaming for vengeance on this one. After years of standing in the shadows behind Glenn, KK, and now Jon Schaffer, many questioned Owens’ songwriting skills and his ability to strike out on his own. For a debut, Beyond Fear squashes all of those doubts, with Ripper and his band producing a dozen ballsy, steely, agro metal anthems that are a perfect showcase for the man’s golden pipes.

Vocally, there is little doubt of just how good Owens is. His note selection and skyscraper-vocals are second-to-none, and when he wants to let ‘her rip (see: ‘Scream Machine’ and ‘Save Me’), watch out! The lyrical topics are pretty standard (betrayal, vengeance, a mechanized heavy metal beast), but Owens remains pretty convincing throughout.

As for the material, the riffing stays in the Pantera/Machine Head/tough-guy/down-tuned department, but don’t get the idea that Ripper is pulling nu metal riffs out of his ass, ‘cause he’s not. The very competent soloing of John Comprix adds a great deal of flavor and zest to these songs, especially album highlight ‘The Human Race’, which blends modern day thrash with a steady, throbbing groove.

The album gets a little plodding at the halfway point, with the slower ‘Dreams Come True’ failing to resonate, as does ‘Telling Lies’ and ‘Words Of Wisdom’. But ‘My Last Words’ is a solid track, seeing an Icon-era Paradise Lost melody line popping up to go with Owens’ harmonized vocals.

This self-titled debut is a good start, especially after so many initially balked at the idea of Owens actually striking out on his own. Beyond Fear should silence a lot of Owens’ detractors and give weight and merit to one of America’s best singers, whose talents have yet to be fully realized only due to the material he’s given to sing thus far. With Beyond Fear and the impending Iced Earth salvo, ’06 should amount to what could be Owens’ most significant year since the Jugulator days.

» timripperowens.com