For anyone who knows who Tim Ripper Owens is, you will be familiar with the fact that he is Heavy Metal royalty. If you aren’t, then it will become evident quickly but I’m jumping the gun here. Yes, this is the first show of his Australian & New Zealand run of shows but before I dive into sharing my words and thoughts on his set we have to address the two support bands that certainly warmed up The Corner Hotel.
First up tonight was Melbourne’s Rawtism, a band I had no idea what to expect from. What did I get? A thrashing good time as this quartet delivered a thirty-minute set of original thrash and speed metal fun. While deeply seeded in the thrash sound they do it the Aussie way with tongue in cheek light-hearted lyrics. To say I has fun watching this set is an understatement, you simply couldn’t take the smile off my face as they put on a show that was completely worthy of the bigger stage. Bassist Naim is all about delivering the bottom end with so much personality. His presence and stage moves reminiscent of Rudy Sarzo in his prime was a blast to watch. Drummer Rorz is all class too and together with Naim, these two as a rhythm section are tight and locked in pummelling our ears with the kick in the guts every heavy band needs.
Frontman, vocalist and guitarist Keefy is just a blast to listen to, his banter game is strong between songs and his vocal delivery is just perfect for this style. The rhythm guitarist whose name illudes me as I’m writing this was tight and served his role perfectly adding more personality and power to the bands sound. Rawtism’s five song set featured songs from their debut EP ‘Raw and Off It’s Head’. With song titles like “Go Rawtistic”, “Slay Metal”, “Conquer Death” and “B.Y.H.A.S.T.F.U. (Bang Your Head And Shut the F*ck Up)” how can you go wrong.
This is thrash done in the most Aussie way I have heard it done in forever. If The Chats and Destruction had a bastard child, this is what you would get. In all honesty I am keen to see these guys again. I can proudly say I’m now officially Rawtistic. Did I mention they were loud? Tonight’s set was filmed for a future project and I can’t wait to see what was captured.
Dead City Ruins have such a solid and loyal fan base, one that the band simply adds to with each and every show they play. Tonight, they delivered a set that can only be described as a half hour of power. To be honest I haven’t seen or heard a set from these guys that has failed to blow me away. There is a magic in this band, their songs and live performance that reminds me of how high they have set the bar for their peers. If you play a show with Dead City Ruins, you better have your A game on. This half hour of power was nothing short of that; their set was a career spanning ride of killer riffs, soaring vocal, harmonised solos driven by a massive rhythm section.
The finishing glaze on tonight’s performance is the actual stage presence these guys bring. The fun, the beer, the hair, the energy. Frontman Steve Welch is engaging, energetic and has such a huge voice. Never one to shy away from getting a crowd involved he leads the band with precision. Now when it comes to guitar attacks, nobody does this better in Australia, these are my words and thoughts and I’m sticking to them. Tonight’s twin guitar attack was delivered by long time guitarist and riff master Sean Blanchard.
Joining Blanchard was Sean Webb whom I saw play with the band for the first time tonight as he is filling in for Tommy Cain who is taking an extended holiday hiatus from the band. Webb a long-time friend of the band was nothing short of incredible and adopted the spirit and execution required as if he had been there for years. The rhythm section of Trajanovski and Sunset is a hard-hitting experience overflowing with driving bass lines and big rhythms. Dead City Ruins were the perfect lubricator for what was to come next. Again, I urge you if you haven’t seen these guys live it’s simply a must.
Setlist : Til Death, Vision, This Side Of The Dirt, Bones, Hapenzella, Preacher
Dead City Ruins Gallery
A simple adjustment to the stage saw it time for tonight’s main attraction. Tim “Ripper” Owens and his all-Australian band. Owens has been coming to Australia on a regular basis for years and we as Australians have in many ways adopted him as one of our own. His shows last year for “The Sinner Rides Again” EP were nothing short of incredible intimate shows where he simply melted faces. This five date tour of Australia with two shows in New Zealand at the conclusion of these Australian shows is Rippers biggest solo run of shows to date and tonight was the first show of ‘The Loudest Voice In Metal’ run.
In my interview with Ripper ahead of the tour he said that this run of shows would dive deep into his career and tonight he did not disappoint. The Judas Priest heavy set had the classics as well as some deep cuts. Vocally this was no walk in the park as Ripper had certainly set himself some challenging songs. We also had the addition of a couple of KK’s Priest songs, his latest project with none other than KK Downing. outing and stepped back in time to add songs by Iced Earth and Beyond Fear.
‘One On One’ is such a blistering opener and probably my favourite Ripper era Judas Priest song. The power in which the band delivered this tonight was incredible. Vocally Ripper sang the hell out of it and had The Corner Hotel in fine voice for the chorus with fists piercing the air. Wasting no time Owens tears a part ‘Metal Gods’ and again his voice and the fist smashing into his thigh prowling the front of the stage are all trademark Ripper.
By the time we are four songs into the set it has become evident, just as it was last time I saw Ripper and this band of fine, fine musicians is that there is a magic here, a cohesiveness and a confidence in the musical delivery of these songs that show as a brotherhood instead of a band. It simply blows my mind to know they play together once every twelve to eighteen months. You would swear this is a tried, true, tested and road worn unit. It’s obvious how much Ripper respects and trusts the band behind him.
Introducing the next song by saying “We’re going to slow it down and then speed it up” leads the crowd into pre emping ‘Beyond The Realms Of Death’. This is a huge favourite for the crowd tonight as we are treated to a powerhouse version. ‘Scream Machine’ is a full-on assault on the senses as things truly did ramp up again.
Blended into the set was humour and charm from Owens in his between song banter. There are moments of reflection to his hero and to a man we all consider to be the greatest voice in metal; Ronnie James Dio. ‘If you listen to fools, the Mob Rules’ says Owens as the band tear through a killer version of the Black Sabbath classic. We may have lost the icon that is RJD but knowing that we have Owens here to celebrate and deliver his songs this way is a magnificent thing.
The end of Mob Rules segues into tonight’s guitar solo which wasn’t exactly what you would expect. Instead of being a noodle/shred fest it was a journey into a piece of music that showed so much personality and ability from the dual guitar attack of Joel McDonald and Voya Milutinovic, these two simply captivated everyone with their melodic six string wizardry and technical ability. This pairing are simply lightning in a bottle and to have a the rhythm section that is so damn good behind it all. Andrew Hudson has the absolute essence of cool. He makes these songs gel, he is the perfect bass player, cool, understated and precise as hell with so much feel and when you get to play with the superbly dynamic Jordan McDonald on drums you know you have to have your a game about you.
Ripper returns to the stage and introduces fan favourite “Grinder’ and the drive full throttle through this track. It really is so great hearing these songs live. ‘One More Shot At Glory’ takes us back to Rippers latest work with KK’s Priest. This song is a monster in every sense from the heavy gallop to the searing dual guitar parts to the riff and that voice, gad damn this is massive. Make no mistake you could have closed your eyes and sworn the KK’s Priest were delivering this. While I wasn’t completely familiar with ’When The Eagle Cries’ from Owens’ tenure in Iced Earth it certainly made me go back and revisit it on the drive home. What a song and what a performance.
Among tonight’s stage banter, there was a lot of and gratitude to Doug Dalton for making Ripper the second artist he brought out to the country as a promoter. Daltons first artist to come to Australia was the late Paul Dianno. Ripper spoke fondly of both Dalton and Dianno, especially Dianno as he shared tales of his time with the great man himself. This led into a powerful version of Iron Maiden’s ‘Wrathchild’, where again this band stepped up and delivered the song with so much authenticity. I don’t think I can say enough but this twin guitar attack mirrors the great duos of these songs so authentically you could mistake them for the real deal.
‘Electric Eye’ is up next, this song has been one of those tracks that solidified Judas Priest as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. That span of a decade from 1980-1990 Priest could do no wrong. “British Steel”, “Screaming For Vengance” and “Defenders Of The Faith” are all albums I have on regular rotation. ‘Electric Eye’ is one of those songs that remains timeless and hearing it live I just can’t get enough of it. Every word flowing from me as I sing along. ‘Hell Is Home’ from “Demolition” is a powerful moody beast that simply stalked your soul, it’s so good to hear this era being played live. It lead itself into an amazing short solo from Jordan McDonald who showed off his technical ability and effortless showmanship. This guy is so much fun to watch play as he slid into the Judas Priest cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Green Manalishi’. This was another crowd favourite as fists again continued to penetrate the air and voices again were in full harmony.
Who knew Owens could play guitar? I guess I knew the answer to that. Last tour I we were all taken by surprise to see Owens handed a guitar to play the first song of the “Encore” the classic ‘Living After Midnight’. Joel McDonald relinquishes his Les Paul to Owens as the band belt their way through the classic which had everyone in fine voice. Owen’s then proceeded to show us what else he knew guitar wise as he played his way through a series of classic and instantly identifiable riffs again throwing in humour by saying that’s all I know. This was the ultimate tease.
Not a band to make a grand exit from the stage Ripper simply asks the audience to cheer like they weren’t on stage for tonight’s encore/final song. The Corner Hotel simply goes wild as the band launches into possibly the greatest heavy metal song of all time ‘Heaven and Hell’. What a version it is too. It has everything the space, the dynamics, the power and most of all a vocal performance that gave me goosebumps. Musically this was executed to perfection along with the power and emotion in which Ripper sings this is it is the perfect closer for the night. The obligatory football chant of “whoa-oh-oh-ho”roared from the crowd as the band and Owens encouraged us all to sing with him one final time tonight.
Judging by the smiles and reactions from the fans everyone including the band had the most amazing time. These Tim Ripper Owens gigs are a must see and this band, again I can’t say enough about them. I’m sure that if Ripper was to take this show to other countries this band would have to be his weapon of choice. Musically impeccable, visually engaging and the perfect playground for Owens who in my honest opinion sounded better than he did the last time he was here. Whatever you do make sure you get along to one of these shows, it’s a must see/hear night of attitude, fun, power, nostalgia and jaw dropping performances.
Setlist : One On One, Metal Gods, Burn In Hell, Hellfire Thunderbolt, Beyond The Realms Of Death, Scream Machine, Mob Rules, Guitar Solo, Grinder, One More Shot At Glory, When The Eagle Cries, Wrathchild, Electric Eye, Hell Is Home, Drum Solo, Green Manalishi, Living After Midnight, Heaven And Hell.
With thanks to Hardline Media & John Howarth for the media access.
Photos by Shot by Slaidins
Tim Ripper Owens Gallery
