Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Močvara / Zagreb / Croatia
Concert date: September 25, 2010
Attendance: 250
Ticket price: €12.00 / €15.00
That’s what happens when Tim “Ripper” Owens goes wandering around the concert stages. He’s the guy who’s now considered one of the finest heavy metal singers around, if not the very best. “Ripper” picked up that nickname for his ridiculously clean, melodic “screaminess,” which came as close as anyone to the ideal Judas Priest vocalist. He first made a name for himself in the mid-nineties, when he joined the writers of the Birmingham metal Bible and recorded the albums “Jugulator” and “Demolition” with them. Later Iced Earth guitarist and boss Jon Schaffer wanted him for his own band. With Iced Earth, too, Tim Owens did everything with top-notch distinction. One especially great move was waking up Beyond Fear. With their 2006 debut, they showed once again how the most authentic heavy metal gets forged in the studio. And Sweden’s Vivaldi of the electric guitar, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, noticed Owens as well, and Owens was of course glad to lend a hand both on stage and in the studio. As for the latest and most current move of Tim “Ripper” Owens, that’s the release of a solo studio record, “Play My Game” (2009). On it he gathered a crew of outstanding guest musicians who added extra spice to the album.
For a while there was even talk that “Ripper” would pull the people who played on the record into his touring band. They would have been: Simon Wright (drums, ex-AC/DC, ex-DIO), Chris Caffery (guitar, Savatage, Trans Siberian Orchestra), Davdi Eleffson (bass, Megadeth) and John Comprix (guitar, Beyond Fear, Ringworm). But the budget slice of the pie had other plans and forced this excellent screamer to turn to a cheaper lineup, known for backing former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno on tour. Its members also play in Absolute Steel and Queenstreet. They’re Andy Boss (guitar), Jon Vegard (guitar), Are Gogstad (bass) and Rick Hagan (drums). Seasoned, proven guys on stage who just can’t fake it when playing the Judas Priest classics that make up most of “Ripper’s” live repertoire.
But let’s take it from the top. The club Močvara sits on Trnjanski nasip, a stone’s throw from the left bank of the Sava in Zagreb. On this “judgment” day the venue was practically underwater. It rained, and rained, and just kept pouring. Pretty familiar scenery for a resident of the old continent in 2010. Oh well. After a total loss of orientation (I’d set off for Močvara from in front of Zagreb’s Dom sportova, leaving behind some very pleasant company that I could barely tear myself away from), I naturally got lost in Zagreb again. But stubbornness got me to the venue at exactly half past nine. I had to track down Roger, Tim “Ripper” Owens’s tour manager. Rockline was doing an interview (Yes! It’s true. So stay tough and impatient!). Everything came together nicely. Contact established. Just as I arrived, the Norwegian old-school heavy metal revivalists Thunderbolt were taking the stage. They proved an excellent pick as support for Tim “Ripper” Owens and definitely won a crowd of fans over to their side that night at Močvara. Sadly we had other obligations, so we could only catch the start and the end of the opening act’s set. It was enough to show that this is a bunch of superbly tight stallions who knead and flog their instruments with serious fire and drive. On top of that, the lineup has an excellent vocalist who confidently conquers both the highs and the lows. Thunderbolt are a name that restores hope that the world hasn’t yet forgotten what the real, healthy, genuine approach to preaching metal looks like. Vehement and without brakes. Even in the few minutes I had the honor of sharing with the band, I can say Thunderbolt won over one more (admittedly very picky) metal diehard.
Tim “Ripper” Owens hit the stage with his helpers at 11:00 p.m. He wore a cap advertising the tour’s sponsor, the energy drink company “Monster,” sunglasses, and of course nothing but a killer voice! Who could want more than opening the night with the Judas Priest destroyer of all destroyers? Painkiller! There you go! A shot to the head! The sparse crowd of 300 heads goes nuts. Assorted interesting objects start flying through the air, and “Ripper” rolls in like a tank, merciless against the audience! Let’s clear up the sound right away. It wasn’t ideal. Of course, that didn’t stop “Ripper’s” vocals from expressing themselves one bit. They raged unbridled and shone in that small club space. The guitars sounded a bit muffled and the riffing was a bit less distinct than I’d have expected. But no matter. The whole thing worked brilliantly, thanks of course to “Ripper’s” one-of-a-kind vocal acrobatics, a talent he was born with and (has since) fully capitalized on. Of unimaginable proportions. For laymen and connoisseurs alike. Watching “Ripper” in action, your breath stops on its own. Killer, extremely high screams lasting several seconds followed one another like on a conveyor belt, and for an hour and forty minutes Ripper sounded fresh and not the slightest bit worn down!
The crew mostly flogged Judas Priest classics. The ones Tim sang back on his tours with Judas Priest. “What’s my name?!?!” he asks. The crowd answers: “Ripper!”. Tim adds: “You’ve got it!”, and the guys cut loose with the “Sad Wings Of Destiny” (1976) Judas Priest evergreen that’s been covered by plenty of metal bands, The Ripper. Burn In Hell and One On One, from “Jugulator” (1997) and “Demolition” (2001), sat wonderfully, and the real candy came with the “Point Of Entry” (1981) classic Desert Plains, which is the peak of that Judas Priest album all by itself. The men on stage came across as victorious through and through, and the fantastic crowd, going wild right alongside them, did its part too.
The moment of the night when emotions boiled over most intensely was the performance of the Black Sabbath classic Children Of The Sea, which “Ripper” introduced by saying it’s his favorite Black Sabbath song and that he was dedicating it on this occasion to Ronnie James Dio. The late great Dio then got another brief reincarnation with the surprise of the night, Gates Of Babylon (Rainbow). “Ripper” also didn’t skip the excellent Beyond Fear metal pounder Sream Machine, whose very title embodies “Ripper’s” singing integrity, followed by Save Me. The “Play My Game” album got its showcase too, with It Is Me, Death Race and, as an extra, Starting Over. To keep the crowd even closer, the man decided to dig into the Iron Maiden repertoire as well. The backing band showed its best side right away when it played the instrumental intro of the “Killers” (1981) album, The Ides Of March, which then, as expected, morphed into Wrathchild.
The gig was packed with high-voltage energy from the first second to the last, and it didn’t falter or let up for a moment. Confidence oozed out of the masterful execution of those devilish classics, and “Ripper” sweated out a decent number of liters along the way. The night was clearly all “Ripper’s.” He liked the venue and the crowd so much that he decided to play a song the band hadn’t performed live earlier on the tour. Especially for Zagreb, after the obligatory encore, the guys tackled one more Judas Priest evergreen. It made a great send-off for the rest of the night’s partying. Living After Midnight. What else is there to add? Tim “Ripper” Owens blew our heads off at Močvara. And once again it felt like the guy could have done it with his left hand, or blindfolded. Watching him on stage as he glides (by ear) through unattainable heights with ease, every answer of admiration and respect for this singer is plain as day. He remains in the narrow top tier of the best that heavy metal has to offer today. An elusive, one-of-a-kind screamer whose singing does more than just give you goosebumps. It’s astonishing, hard to describe. A singer you absolutely have to check out for yourself at a live show!
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
1. Painkiller 2. The Ripper 3. Burn In Hell 4. Sream Machine 5. Running Wild 6. It Is Me 7. Death Race 8. Children Of The Sea 9. The Ides Of March 10. Wratchild 11. Save Me 12. One On One 13. Gates Of Babylon 14. Desert Plains 15. Breaking The Law —encore— 16. Hell Bent For Leather 17. Starting Over 18. Hellion / Electric Eye 19. Living After Midnight
Photo Gallery
