But this is about Tim Owens the musician and finally the songwriter. With Beyond Fear Tim has effectively stepped out of the shadows of all previous collaborators in terms of writing since he has finally been able to put some of his own words to music. Vocally all that you loved about Mr. Owens is still present in spades, and perhaps a touch more. Maybe covering King Diamond's vocals for the Roadrunner United concert event gave him some ideas because self-harmonizing is heard throughout this record and it kills. "Scream Machine" is destined to be a classic although "Coming At You" is largely disposable, save a fiery closing vocal performance.

Overall the album boasts some rather solid songs. None are overly weak but none clearly stands out aside from the opener. "My Last Words" opens with a Painkiller-sounding drum fill while the bulk of the album musically hearkens back to the Judas Priest blueprint with a few modern Thrash elements on display. Essentially nothing new is offered. Instead we have solid and well-crafted Traditional Heavy Metal the way it used to be made. Well, not exactly since this thing boasts crystal clarity and killer production. Ripper continues to be a modern throwback and we wouldn't have it any other way. The best for Beyond Fear is yet to come.

written by Tony Belcher

Playing time: 47.12