Location: Moćvara / Zagreb / Croatia
Interview date: 24.09.2010
Tim “Ripper” Owens is without a doubt one of the most “prolific” and promising heavy metal vocalists of the younger generation. Tim hit the scene like a hurricane overnight, in a big way, replacing metal god Rob Halford on the throne of the giants Judas Priest, with whom he recorded the albums Jugulator and Demolition. Even back then Ripper lived up to his nickname, taking your breath away with inhumanly high falsetto screams that recalled the golden age of heavy metal and, who else, Rob Halford himself. After leaving Judas Priest, though, Ripper proved he was no one-hit wonder and over the following years established himself as one of the bigger vocal names in metal. A big chunk of his discography is taken up by his work with Iced Earth and, more recently, with Yngwie Malmsteen, with Richard Christy in his band Charred Walls of the Damned, and many other guest spots. And of course we can’t skip Ripper’s solo album Play My Game, where he’s backed by a whole herd of legendary metal/rock names, as well as the excellent modern heavy metal band Beyond Fear (we’ve been waiting way too long for the follow-up to that excellent debut, Tim!). The interview was done before Ripper’s solo show at Močvara in Zagreb, which took place last September.
RockLine: Hi Tim, great to finally have you here in Zagreb. You were supposed to play here last year already with Hail, but the show got canceled. What actually happened?
Ripper: I think that was when David (Eleffson ed.) went back to Megadeth and we couldn’t find a suitable replacement in time. But I hope we can come back soon. We’ll definitely play here with Hail.
RL: Since we’re already talking about Hail, how did this project even come about? It’s basically one big tribute project to the big names of metal, and by well-known and important names of the metal scene at that.
Ripper: It started with David and the jams the two of us began in Los Angeles. Those jams grew into the idea of a project, and together with the manager we managed to lock in a few dates in South America, and since we still needed a guitarist, we called Andreas (Kisser; Sepultura ed.). We got such a great response that already in Chile we decided to “book” a few dates for shows elsewhere around the world.
RL: What’s the situation with the bass player? Paul Gray (Slipknot ed.) sadly passed away a few months ago (Gray died in May 2010 of a drug overdose ed.)?
Ripper: James Lomenzo played with us at the last shows, and David Ellefson is still a member of this project. Hail is just about having fun, so we can always get someone else for the shows, and James is great and I hope we’ll play a few more shows with him.
RL: You recently released your first real solo album. When did you decide it was the right time to record and release it?
Ripper: I think it was after I left Iced Earth, when my manager Wendy Dio and I decided it was the right time to put out a solo record. We could have put out a new Beyond Fear record back then, but I felt it was the right time for a solo record. Writing and recording it was fun, and I think it’s a real metal record.
RL: Did you write all the material on Play My Game yourself?
Ripper: Yeah, mostly. A good half of it I wrote together with the guests on the album, Bob Kulick and others.
RL: You’ve got a really impressive list of guest musicians on the album. How did you decide to work with these musicians, and why these people in particular?
Ripper: At first it started with just a few people, but once we got into recording I managed to invite a few more musicians and the whole thing just grew from there. Luckily I have a lot of friends in the music industry, so it was easy to make arrangements with everyone.
RL: Was there anyone else you wanted as a guest on the album but couldn’t get?
Ripper: Yeah, I wanted John 5, Scott Ian and George Lynch to guest too. Those three! It’s a shame we didn’t manage it, because on the next album I probably won’t have as many guests.
RL: So will you record the next record with a permanent lineup, or will you bring in guests again like on Play My Game?
Ripper: I’ll definitely have a few guests, but I’ll probably record most of it with a studio band. I’ll probably use the band that’s touring with me for writing songs too, and then take it into the studio.
RL: There was talk that David Eleffson and Chris Caffery would be part of your backing band on this tour, among others. So how did you end up with the guys from Absolute Steel, who also play with Di’Anno?
Ripper: My agent suggested them, I checked them out, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve never had a better backing band, at least as far as my solo tours go. I’m pretty lucky with them.
RL: When people talk about you, they never forget to mention your time with Judas Priest. Did you ever think, when you started playing music, that you’d one day land in a band as big as Judas Priest?
Ripper: No, never! I was really lucky. Before I got into Priest I didn’t even know exactly what I was going to do with my life. Once it happened I really gave it my all, but I never even dreamed of anything like that.
RL: If I’m not mistaken, K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton saw you singing with your Judas Priest cover band and then invited you to an audition?
Ripper: No, they saw a video; it was actually Scott Travis who saw me live. I only sang in that band for a few months, and only a year later, when I wasn’t singing in that band anymore, Judas Priest saw a recording of some gig and put me on a plane to England.
RL: And they’re the ones who gave you your nickname after you sang the track The Ripper.
Ripper: That’s right, and luckily it stuck (laughs).
RL: It always seemed to me you had the bad luck of joining bands where really powerful, iconic singers had come before you: Matt Barlow in Iced Earth and Rob Halford in Judas Priest. Did you ever feel unsure whether you’d be up to the tough job of filling a spot like that?
Ripper: No. When I joined Judas Priest, they hadn’t played in six years. I agree about the powerful singers, but Barlow and Halford are very different. Judas Priest are huge either way, and the records with Barlow are probably the best Iced Earth records. Jon and I didn’t see eye to eye on some things… Anyway, I didn’t worry about it, I just did my best. I was a huge Judas Priest fan, and from that fan side alone I enjoyed working together like crazy. I’d still be enjoying it, but I knew that one day they’d get back together with Rob.
RL: You surely helped Judas Priest get back on the scene in that period.
Ripper: Yeah. You know, when I joined Priest in 1996 or 1997, those were really strange times for metal. Even today I think Jugulator is a very strong record that can stand up against any other. Demolition too.
RL: When you joined Iced Earth, the album The Glorious Burden had already been recorded with Matt’s vocals. Was it hard to step into the band and sing material that was completely written and recorded already?
Ripper: No, not at all. I just listened to the album quickly and put my own stamp on it. It didn’t bother me at all, I sang it with ease.
RL: I always found it incredible how you pulled off such an emotional, heartfelt performance of the Gettysburg trilogy. I know that track is Jon’s baby, but did you get pulled into that story yourself to deliver a performance like that?
Ripper: Yeah, Gettysburg is quite an emotional story. Just thinking about it put me in such an emotional state that I was able to sing it like that.
RL: What are the themes you write about? Play My Game covers a wide range of topics, from social to emotional struggles.
Ripper: I like writing about everything. If you only write about one thing, say politics, sci-fi, monsters, it can get boring fast. So I write about all sorts of stuff. It’s fun to write about real life, and then on the other hand about aliens, like in the song Cover Up.
RL: Have you ever thought about writing a concept album?
Ripper: Probably not, though I came close to a concept album with Winter’s Bane’s album Heart of a Killer. If I ever wrote a concept album, it would be about… I don’t know what it would be about (laughs).
RL: With Beyond Fear you put out an excellent debut in the spirit of classic heavy metal, but with a modern touch. Did you have that style in mind from the start?
Ripper: Yeah, I’m a fan of that kind of music, so I wanted to write an “in your face” heavy metal album.
RL: Because the debut was so well received, a lot of people are wondering when we can expect the follow-up.
Ripper: It’s already written, we just have to record it. We’re having trouble syncing our schedules, since I’m extremely busy right now with touring and promoting the solo record.
RL: The last thing you recorded was the Charred Walls of the Damned debut. Did Richard Christy personally invite you to the project?
Ripper: Yeah, he’s a good friend of mine, he called me up and I couldn’t say no.
RL: If I’m not mistaken, you’ll be playing quite a few covers tonight?
Ripper: We play one Maiden track, one Black Sabbath track and a Rainbow track. Otherwise we play my solo material, Beyond Fear stuff and songs from my time in Judas Priest. And there’ll always be a Dio track in the setlist!
RL: So what’s the future for Ripper? A new Beyond Fear record?
Ripper: Yeah, Beyond Fear for sure, tours with Hail, a tour with Yngwie, and whatever else comes along.
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
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