GLENN TIPTON

After the disappointment of the previously unreleased "Edge of the World" (TIPTON, ENTWISTLE & POWELL),I can't say I was expecting a lot from the Rhino re-release of Glenn Tipton's "Baptizm of Fire". Having not heard the original 1997 release, I had no frame of reference either. As pleasant surprises go, "Baptizm of Fire" turned out to be a rather likeable disc. Though I could have done without the lukewarm bonus tracks (the Eastern-tinged and awkward "Himalaya" and the middling happy rocker "New Breed"),the original 11 songs make for an upbeat, metal-edged rock experience, even though "superstar solo artist" may never been used in the same sentence as "Glenn Tipton." Entwistle and Powell form the rhythm section here as well. Keyboardist Don Airey, bassists Billy Sheehan, Robert Trujillo, and C.J. Devillar, and drummers Brooks Wackerman and Shannon Larkin make guest appearances.

Many of the songs have that vague JUDAS PRIEST feel to them, at least in terms of the Ripper era, but not in the way of full on screaming metal arrangements. It is in the guitar tone, and some of the vocal patterns, as well as bits and pieces of the compositions that bring JP to mind. On the downside, Tipton's production sucks much of the oxygen out of these arrangements. While the guitar is bountifully metallic, the sound mix as a whole is flat. A better mix could have breathed more life into the album. As for Tipton's singing, his range may be limited, but his peculiar style is warm and convincing.

Many of the songs fall into either an up-tempo hard-rock-by-way-of-metal category ("Fuel me Up", "Kill or Be Killed", and the covered-to-death, but well done "Paint it Black") or a mid-tempo ironbound slither ("Enter the Storm", "Extinct", "The Healer"). The tunefulness of the compositions falls somewhere between fair and good. The mid-tempo "Voodoo Brother" is catchy and a little soulful, while the acoustic-based "Left for Dead" has an English drinking-song quality to it. The title track is arguably one of the best, and just happens to be the only instrumental. The shred-factor is high (bass and guitar alike) and the rhythm up-tempo and hard driving. Album opener "Hard Core" starts things off inauspiciously though with its mid-paced metal tempo and goofy vocal cadence.

"Baptizm of Fire" is not an earth shaker, but it is an interesting and generally pleasurable listen. JUDAS PRIEST fans in particular (myself included) should have no problem getting something out of it.