5 Albums Made Infinitely Better By Tim “Ripper” Owens’ Presence Alone!

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Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – Perpetual Flame (2008)

What do you think’s gonna happen when you team up one of the finest vocalists in metal with one of the finest shredders on the planet? A neo-classical monster of a modern shred album, that’s what!

We’re not in the business of bad-mouthing other, equally-talented, vocalists but as far as fronting Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force is concerned, the “Ripper” practically wiped the floor with the formidable likes of Joe Lynn Turner, Jeff Scott Soto, Göran Edman, Michael Vescera, Mark Boals, Doogie White, Mats Levén and Malmsteen himself!

With Owens’ ridiculous range proving itself to be the equal of Malmsteen’s guitar heroics, Rising Force sounded renewed and rejuvenated; ‘Ripper’ blatantly bringing new life to what was a spent force. With a voice as dexterous (and aggressive) as Owens’ at his disposal, Yngwie was able to draw from a broader musical palette and the likes of thunderous opener “Death Dealer” and the shred-heavy “Red Devil” clearly benefitted from having such a formidable weapon in its arsenal.

Conjuring visions of the middle ages in metal form, the superhuman Swedish six-string wizard that is Yngwie Malmsteen had found his muse….and Tim “Ripper” Owens was his name.

Also recommended: Tim Owens also lends his pipes to Malmsteen’s Relentless, an album that almost hits the highs of Perpetual Flame.

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Charred Walls Of the Damned – Charred Walls Of The Damned (2010)

In fairness, this supergroup has a lot going for it but we’ll go as far as to say that it’s the presence of Tim “Ripper” Owens which elevates their relatively orthodox sounds to a new level of confidence and power.

With traditional vocals adding a sonic element missing from much of today’s ‘extreme metal’ acts, the inclusion of Tim “Ripper” Owens brings insurmountable quality to Charred Walls Of The Damned‘s classic sounding, highly technical, American metal!

The man sounds absolutely massive on Charred Walls Of The Damned‘s self-titled debut and it helps that he’s aided and abetted by some of metal’s finest ever talent (take a bow Richard Christy, Steve Di Giorgio and Jason Suecof). However, it’s Owens’ vocals which take centre stage, propelling these songs to an even higher standard than if a typical ‘growler’ was employed in his stead.

Also recommended: Charred Walls Of The Damned’s Cold Winds on Timeless Days (2011) and Creatures Watching Over the Dead (2016) are equally impressive.