Live Review: Tim Ripper Owens - The Patch

Wollongong's Nekrofeist received a handy profile boost recently due to larger-than-life vocalist Dave Tinelt's brief stint fronting Mortal Sin. The quartet battled a muddy mix but a batch of new cuts earned a positive response from their hometown crowd.

Sydney's Hazmat were greeted by moderate applause and a few vigorous windmill head-bangers up front. Their melodic thrash borrowed heavily from Megadeth and Metallica, while also injecting some vintage stage moves and a distinct traditional metal flavour that appropriately set the scene for what followed.

Tim “Ripper” Owens is a self-proclaimed industry nice guy, but even the vocalist's patience limits were tested by some major technical difficulties during the take on Judas Priest's Painkiller that opened proceedings. After several minutes' pause, said problems were rectified and the set continued without any further hassles. It then took the American screamer a few songs to properly regain composure, but from that point on he was all smiles and proceeded to provide a clinic of heavy metal singing. Flanked by a solid set of players from Sydney outfits Killrazer and Darker Half, Owens' stunning range – especially some jaw-dropping high notes – and ability to engage the modest but boisterous crowd completely hit the mark.

Even with such a wealth of music to delve into, the 90-minute-plus display was still cleverly built around Priest – both Owens' tenure and otherwise. While Owens-era cuts like One On One or the blistering Blood Stained are understandably not held in as high a regard as stone cold classics like Victim Of Changes, Breaking The Law, Grinder, The Ripper or Living After Midnight, they added a fresh, brutal edge. Dio was paid tribute via Stand Up And Shout and acoustic guitars were whipped out to recognise Owens' time with Iced Earth during a passionately received When The Eagle Cries. Recent projects Beyond Fear and solo ventures were also touched on – and even his pre-Priest band Winter's Bane was acknowledged. A sterling closing version of Black Sabbath's Heaven And Hell – arguably only Dio himself could have done it better – merely reinforced the fact, that armed with a voice so potent, Owens really should still be ruling arenas rather than small clubs and pubs.