Origin:	Akron, OH, USA
Genres:	Traditional Metal

Beyond Fear

The story of Tim "Ripper" Owens should be familiar to most -- famously hand-picked to replace Rob Halford in Judas Priest, he made two studio albums and toured extensively with the group, only to be dropped when Halford himself made his inevitable return. Since his Priest stint, he has settled down in two bands, one (Iced Earth) where he's more of a hired gun, and this here Beyond Fear, where he's the man in charge. A self-titled album was released in the spring of 2006, barely a year after Owens put the band together. Musically, this is straightforward heavy metal, with the occasional thrash element, with Owens in predictably fine form -- his vocal talents have never been in question and on that score Beyond Fear delivers. The songs themselves range from ok to good, no real duds but few real standouts either. Overall, it's a bit on the safe side -- Ripper fans and traditional metallers will enjoy this, but the album doesn't quite make the huge impact one might have hoped for. By no means a bad album at all, but the best may be yet to come if Owens keeps this band together.