TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Says He Will 'Definitely' Sing On Another YNGWIE MALMSTEEN Album

Greece's Rockpages.gr recently conducted an interview with powerhouse American heavy metal vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Rockpages.gr: What's the status of [BEYOND FEAR] at this point?

Tim Owens: Well, most of the songs for the second album are already written. My manager thought that it would be best if we released the solo album first. We are definitely active, we live together… well, not in the same house (laughs)… but nearby. It's a good thing! The next record will be a little more aggressive.

Rockpages.gr: How about YNGWIE MALMSTEEN? Was it an one-off deal?

Tim Owens: No. I've known Yngwie for many years. I did "Mr. Crowley" with him back in 2001 and we always talked about doing something together when the time is right. So, we met at a Starbucks… I guess, that's where you are going when you get older (laughs)! It was a good meeting… after a while, I listened to the new material and I really liked it. We did the record, a world tour and I actually got back from Japan last week. It was great. We will definitely do another record together! It's fun being on stage with Yngwie.

Rockpages.gr: What went wrong with ICED EARTH?

Tim Owens: It just didn't work out, you know…it was the best for both of us, really…but it ended in an unprofessional way. I didn't want it to end this way, that's for sure. It had to happen…it wasn't going anywhere for me and ICED EARTH. The right move was to get Matt (Barlow) back; that what they fans wanted, after all. But, everything's going great for me…I just finished a solo record and had a blast with Yngwie, so…

Rockpages.gr: I know that you are a big PRIEST fan…if you had the opportunity to change something in the two records that you did with them, would you do anything? Maybe, something regarding the compositions…

Tim Owens: First of all, I love both records. Looking back now, I see how different they are, but I still like them. I write in a complete different way…I'd probably prefer more the classic, old-PRIEST type of material… like the way I write in my albums. "British Steel" kind of stuff. For example, "Scream Machine" (BEYOND FEAR) was like a PRIEST song. The title track of "Play My Game" was originally written for JUDAS PRIEST. Also, the song "Save Me" (BEYOND FEAR) was also considered for JUDAS PRIEST. But, I totally understand their decision. PRIEST has treated me better than any band that I've been with.

Rockpages.gr: Did you like "Nostradamus"?

Tim Owens: Ahh… I think it's a good record. It's not the kind of record I would have put out, but it's a good record…I prefer the songs to be more... not so laid back. But JUDAS PRIEST always released different records; they changed with every album…

Read the entire interview from Rockpages.gr.