Glenn Tipton is one half of the guitar assault of Judas Priest and the primary songwriter. Back in 1997 he released a solo album; now that album has been remastered and re-released for a new generation of metalheads.
I've never really followed Judas Priest. It's not for lack of desire, it is just one of those things. They were a band that was just sort of there, so forgive me if I am not terribly familiar with their work. I'm working on it, I promise. Anyway, when I got this disk, I figured it would have a distinctly Priest sound to it. That turned out to be both true and untrue.
Baptizm of Fire is a finely honed example of what metal can do. From chugging riffs to driving drums, to screaming solos, they're all here. Glenn Tipton surrounded himself with a group of talented musicians that helped him spread his wings and step away from the band mentality. There is some of that Judas Priest sound to it; I mean, how can you escape it? But still, the album stands alone as a sharp-edged weapon of mass ear destruction. Tipton teams with such artists as John Entwistle, Billy Sheehan, Robert Trujillo, Cozy Powell, Shannon Larkin, and Whitfield Crane, among others to deliver our Baptizm.
The album opens with a chunky guitar riff, followed by a nice double bass drum fill leading us into "Hard Care." This is a decent track that introduces you to an altered Priest sound, and the interesting and unique, if unspectacular, voice of Glenn Tipton. Glenn handles all of the lead vocals, and he does a decent job of it. This initial offering is followed by a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black." This is my favorite Stones song, and Tipton does a sped up metalized version which works surprisingly well.
"Enter the Storm" is one of my favorite cuts from Baptizm of Fire. It opens with a nice progression leading into the mellow vocals, which in turn leads to a slow chugging guitar riff. The first couple of minutes remind me of some of Type O Negatives slower songs. This leads into an incredible, blood pumping, guitar/drum progression which I just love. That is followed by another chunky rocker in "Fuel Me Up."
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