In my little world of flowers, Primal Fear has been around forever. But they actually started out as late as 1997, formed by former Gamma Ray singer Ralf Scheepers and Sinner bassist Mat Sinner and their self-titled debut saw the light of day one year later. I admit that I never gave this band the time of day as I have never been much into European (read: German) Power Metal – and I’m still not. It took me all the way to 2016 and the album Rulebreaker before I checked them out and then it was only because I got a promo of that album from Frontiers Records. What surprised me most about that album was that I actually dug it which in turn led me to purchase their 2017 double compilation album Best Of Fear to check out their earlier stuff and lo and behold, I found a whole bunch of great songs on that one.
With that, I actually turned around and looked forward to the follow-up, Apocalypse (2018), an album that without being bad per se, was a disappointment for me. It was also the last album released on Frontiers after six album plus one compilation. The band has now signed back with Nuclear Blast, the record company that released the band’s six first records. This album is guitarist/songwriter Magnus Karlsson’s sixth album released with songs coming from his pen in two years, if you count the last Primal Fear album. The fact that the last album was a disappointment and that Karlsson’s latest releases has been a bit up and down, I’m not sure what kind of expectations I should have had for this record.
The band kicks off the album with “I Am Alive”, the album’s second single. The tune holds a cinematic and dramatic intro before the tune bursts into a high-energetic, fast-tracked Metal stomper with a striking beat and Judas Priest-like riffing that strikes punches right for the jugular. On top lies a huge refrain, full with metal-hooks and catchy melodies which brings along hope that this album will rise above the last one. As the bastard-child of Accept and Judas Priest, the leading single “Along Came The Devil” is a fat, chunky Metal-belter, carried on a fat rhythm and some edgy riffing. Very much in-your-face and straight forward, the chorus does its job by grabbing a hold of the listener brilliantly. Great stuff indeed.
Aggressive and stone-hard, “Halo” blasts away at full throttle with classic Heavy Metal as its base. Being a raging powerhouse of a song, their Power Metal DNA shows up when the chorus arrives, bringing along nods towards both early Avantasia and Helloween which in turn means that we’re treated with hooks galore and a striking catchiness. A good song albeit not as bang-on-target as the previous two. Third single “Hear Me Calling” holds some more laid-back and softer verses but when it’s time for the big chorus, the tune has turned heavier and more upbeat with chugging guitars and a thunderous rhythm. It’s a heavy Metal stomper with another memorable and immediate refrain. Good one.
Latest single “The Lost & The Forgotten” cranks away with some rough and razor-sharp Accept inspired riffing – to be fair, most of this song brings on Accept tendencies. It’s a headbang-friendy Metal belter, tough and in-your-face with a solid rhythm-section – robust and heavy with a pumping bass and slammin’ drumming. It’s a melodic Metal track with an intense main-melody and the chorus is good but could be catchier and stronger. As its title suggests, “My Name Is Fear” is fast, heavy and aggressive – it’s actually quite thrashy. It’s a ferocious beast of a song which does its best to beat you up bad. That said, as a whole, the tune never passes ok.
It’s time to enter ballad-land when it’s time for “I Will Be Gone”, something at least I’m not used to when it comes to Primal Fear. And I must say they get away with it – and then some. It’s an acoustic guitar based stripped and laid-back breather, fine-tuned with a gorgeous vocal arrangement with some brilliant harmonies. How about that? The chorus is massive with a chunky power ballad groove, hooks enough to sell and an immediate catchiness. This is brilliant. Right in the other corner we get “Raise Your Fist”, a straight ahead Metal stomper that mixes Judas Priest guitar riffing with an anthemic 80’s Arena Rock twist – ballsy, heavy and beefy. That said, I find the song only ok and a bit too much both a musical and lyrical cliché.
The roaring “Howl Of The Banshee” runs amok, scratching, spitting and screaming with some razor-sharp guitar-riffing and a straight-forward and in-your-face fast-tracked tempo. The tune runs on a Heavy Metal foundation where Priest’s “Painkiller” seems to be the template but also makes friends with Power Metal. There’s also a dynamic contrast between the song’s aggression and the almost uplifting and happy chorus-melodies which brings on the catchiness. It’s a good tune but not quite great. There’s more of the “Painkiller” influence on the following “Afterlife”, a fast, aggressive and chugging Metal-stomper. It’s darker and slightly evil sounding and it clearly throws a nod to Thrash Metal here and there. Quality-wise, it’s ok but easily forgotten and fades fast.
As a closer we get an epic, 13-minute monster of a song called “Infinity”. This one starts out quiet and sullen on a ballad note but soon transforms into a edgy and heavy Metal rocker in a fast pace and some gritty and raw guitars which brings us into a catchy and direct refrain. A soft, laid-back and dark passage shows up with some classical influences before the huge refrain returns. The tune then slows down and goes into a stripped and earthy section with the sounds of thunder and lightning appearing which leads us into a spooky latin-monk chanting choir that brings on an ominous atmosphere. The song then goes into another transformation into a symphonic, classical piece – very fat, bombastic and thrusting. That’s followed by a mid-paced and catchy melodic Metal route before the whole shebang ends with a softer piano outro. A great tune that runs between emotive and aggressive moments.
For the deluxe version, a bonus CD is your treat. “Rising Fear” is an atmospheric and stripped acoustic guitar intro that takes us into “Leave Me Alone”, a heavy slow-burner with a heavy rhythm and a direct and intense riff. It’s an ok Metal track but a bit forgettable. “Second To None” is a straight ahead Metal belter, punchy, tough and riff-happy with an effective and direct chorus. Good one. “Crucify Me” is heavy and rowdy and lands somewhere between Heavy Metal and Power dito. It holds a solid, hard beat, a thrashy outlook- fast, ferocious and intense. The chorus goes right for the throat but it doesn’t make much of an impact on me. The way I see it, this bonus CD is for the hardcore Primal Fear fans. I wouldn’t put my hard-earned dough on the deluxe version because of those songs anyway.
As a whole, I find this album a step up from its predecessor but not as strong as Rulebreaker or most of the stuff that is on the double compilation CD. The sore thumbs on the album – the ballad and the massive closing track – are what what brings Primal Fear out of their Metal box, otherwise I have the feeling that what you see/hear is what you get with Primal Fear – Primal Fear is Primal Fear and they just don’t do any big changes when it comes to song structure or sound. For their hardcores, I guess that’s a positive thing but unfortunately my interest fades faster than it should. The band might be on repeat but that being said, many songs on this album are way too good to give this album the sledge-hammer. However, the album’s cheesy title makes me cringe not so little. Very unimaginative – these guys should be able to come up with a less dorky and clichéd title.
6/10
More Primal Fear reviews:
Tracklist:
1. I Am Alive
2. Along Came The Devil
3. Halo
4. Hear Me Calling
5. The Lost & The Forgotten
6. My Name Is Fear
7. I Will Be Gone
8. Raise Your Fists
9. Howl Of The Banshee
10. Afterlife
11. Infinity
CD & Festival reviews 