Posted on: March 29, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

The first track of this album is something that immediately grabs hold of listeners and does not let them go for the entirety of the track. Of particular note are the rapidly escalating guitars that dot the track, something that will bring in listeners by the barrelful.

What Tim Owens and the rest of Beyond Fear dear with each song on this self-titled disc is infuse it with a current style even as the music is something that is firmly rooted in the past. In much the same way, there is an inherently radio quality to the songs on this disc that is moderated by the sheer rough sound of each song here. While there is a cohesive sound for the tracks on this disc, this does not mean that Beyond Fear is locked into a specific style for all the songs here. “Save Me” is one of the best examples of this desire to change styles, as the band goes pretty close to something that Powerman 5000 or Static-X would be happy with. Instead of being this bland and boring band, Beyond Fear keeps things interesting with the minor cribbing from different styles and this cribbing ensures that a larger fan base will be had than if the band just tried to come at listeners with the general Judas Priest approach to everything.

“The Human Race” further distinguishes the band as purveyors of the heavy and hard in society; the guitars tool around with a Slayer-type sound as the drums tattoo themselves into listeners’ hearts. Overall, Beyond Fear plays a style of metal that individuals will lap up; any of the tracks on this disc are those that can and will be shouted back verbatim at Tim Owens; while Owens has been in a few distinct bands, this may just be where ey can roam free and create eir own style without the spectre heavy metal greats like Halford or the history of Iced Earth can weigh eir down. “Telling Lies” may just be the best track on the disc, as it meshes together the more current sound of “Save Me” while still maintaining the super-sonic sound of a much earlier metal act. Beyond Fear will undoubtedly have a long career, and it is the fans’ duty to go and check them and their disc out, whether they be fans of Iced Earth, Judas Priest, or Tim Owens in particular.

Top Tracks: Save Me, Telling Lies

Rating: 6.5/10

[JMcQ]

Beyond Fear – S/T / 2006 SPV / 12 Tracks / http://www.timripperowens.com / http://www.spvusa.com / Reviewed 16 April 2006

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