TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Performs IRON MAIDEN, VAN HALEN Classics With HEAVY AS TEXAS (Video)

Powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) joined HEAVY AS TEXAS — the band featuring former PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS guitarist Marzi Montazeri — on stage on Novemebr 21 at the BFE Rock Club in Houston, Texas to perform classic songs from VAN HALEN, IRON MAIDEN, PANTERA and BLACK SABBATH. Video footage of the concert can be seen below (video by Afshin Farzadfar).

Montazeri recently described HEAVY AS TEXAS as "a southern groovy band." He told the "Do You Know Jack?" radio show: "It's got extreme levels to it, but it's not just an all-out extreme band, to label it that. I always called it 'heavy Texas blues and beyond.' The 'beyond' part is all the psychedelic stuff, man."

He continued: "You know, growing up with [BLACK] SABBATH and [LED] ZEPPELIN and PINK FLOYD. And then getting into other bands, growing up… I saw a movie my dad took me to called 'Thief' with James Caan and I just remember seeing that movie and thinking, 'Damn, man, the soundtrack was so killer.' I'd come to find out it was a band called TANGERINE DREAM. So a lot of those bands kind of played a big role… I always loved the long epic rock songs. And a lot of '70s, late '60s influence, so that is the core of HEAVY AS TEXAS. But then you add to it the tone that I have today and the way we write today, and it's kind of different."

Marzi stated about his split with the ILLEGALS: "I haven't spoken to any of 'em, and I found out through the Internet that I wasn't in the band. But we're gonna leave it at that, man. I wish them the best. And I'm doing my thing, and there's no hard feelings on my camp or me, period. And if anything, I appreciate the fact that Philip gave me a chance so that the rest of the world could know who I am. That's that, man."