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.
01. Hard Core
02. Paint it Black
03. Enter the Storm
04. Fuel me Up
05. Extinct
06. Baptizm of Fire
07. The Healer
08. Cruise Control
09. Kill or Be Killed
10. Voodoo Brother
11. Left for Dead
12. Himalaya
13. New Breed