Frontiers
2012
1. Unbreakable (Part 1)
2. Strike
3. Give Em Hell
4. Bad Guys Wear Black
5. And There Was Silence
6. Metal Nation
7. Where Angels Die
8. Unbreakable (Part 2)
9. Marching Again
10. Born Again
11. Blaze Of Glory
12. Conviction
Primal Fear are a band who have been a pretty reliable source of good power metal for me. I mean, since '98 they've put out 9 albums and I've really liked 8 of them. One misstep (Devil's Ground) is more than forgivable and I'd rank them as one of the more consistent and among the best in power metal. Checking out a new Primal Fear album for me is a given.
It's interesting to look at the course of Primal Fear's catalogue and the stylistic changes the band has been through up to this point. From pure Priest worship to a more euro power feel and into some more melodic stuff recently (especially on Seven Seals and New Religion). Then 16.6 did seem a bit heavier again. So I guess the point of this little Primal Fear History lesson is I was left wondering where the band would head now and what this would sound like.
Well, the answer is this kind of sounds like a blend of what the band's styles have been to this point. Strike and Give Em Hell start off the album sounding like a much older Primal Fear album. Pretty much straight ahead heavy power/Priest stuff that could have come somewhere between the self titled and Nuclear Fire. The problem is that they're just run of the mill and easily forgotten after listening. The choruses and verses don't stick and the riffing is very familiar.
After that Bad Guys Wear Black has a bit more of a groove feel with the melodic slant of the band's later material coming in with the chorus, which is pretty solid. This isn't what I'd call a new hit or up with some of the other top songs in the band's catalogue, but it's enjoyable enough. From here things start to sound like the more recent PF material again, but it doesn't seem to have the little touches that made some of their other stuff. There's not really much in terms of great melodic passages, little symphonic touches, etc. Basically, the things that gave Seven Seals and New Religion that extra something.
That's pretty much the theme of this album for me. Not bad, but lacking the little touches and nuances to really make for good, powerful, melodic metal. This kinda sounds like leftovers from the various eras of this band. The album as a whole is pretty decent, but definitely underwhelming. Even at the album's best I find it a bit lacking. There are some good songs like Bad Guys Wear Black with it's groove and chorus, Metal Nation with it's melodic anthem sound, and Where Angels Fall with it's sort of epic/melodic feel backed with a bit of symphonic touches. Basically, when the band gos more melodic it tends to sound a bit better, but I would have loved at least one good ripper too.
Overall, this album doesn't leave me with much of an impression and I can't see myself listening to it a lot. It might be decent for hardcore Primal Fear albums, but if I want to listen to Primal Fear in the future, I don't see myself reaching for this album much. Frankly, this album is just a bit dull. Not bad, but not exciting. I'm beginning to think this band might be starting to slip.
Highlights: Bad Guys Wear Black, Where Angels Die, Metal Nation
Rating - 3.0/5
2. Strike
3. Give Em Hell
4. Bad Guys Wear Black
5. And There Was Silence
6. Metal Nation
7. Where Angels Die
8. Unbreakable (Part 2)
9. Marching Again
10. Born Again
11. Blaze Of Glory
12. Conviction
Primal Fear are a band who have been a pretty reliable source of good power metal for me. I mean, since '98 they've put out 9 albums and I've really liked 8 of them. One misstep (Devil's Ground) is more than forgivable and I'd rank them as one of the more consistent and among the best in power metal. Checking out a new Primal Fear album for me is a given.
It's interesting to look at the course of Primal Fear's catalogue and the stylistic changes the band has been through up to this point. From pure Priest worship to a more euro power feel and into some more melodic stuff recently (especially on Seven Seals and New Religion). Then 16.6 did seem a bit heavier again. So I guess the point of this little Primal Fear History lesson is I was left wondering where the band would head now and what this would sound like.
Well, the answer is this kind of sounds like a blend of what the band's styles have been to this point. Strike and Give Em Hell start off the album sounding like a much older Primal Fear album. Pretty much straight ahead heavy power/Priest stuff that could have come somewhere between the self titled and Nuclear Fire. The problem is that they're just run of the mill and easily forgotten after listening. The choruses and verses don't stick and the riffing is very familiar.
After that Bad Guys Wear Black has a bit more of a groove feel with the melodic slant of the band's later material coming in with the chorus, which is pretty solid. This isn't what I'd call a new hit or up with some of the other top songs in the band's catalogue, but it's enjoyable enough. From here things start to sound like the more recent PF material again, but it doesn't seem to have the little touches that made some of their other stuff. There's not really much in terms of great melodic passages, little symphonic touches, etc. Basically, the things that gave Seven Seals and New Religion that extra something.
That's pretty much the theme of this album for me. Not bad, but lacking the little touches and nuances to really make for good, powerful, melodic metal. This kinda sounds like leftovers from the various eras of this band. The album as a whole is pretty decent, but definitely underwhelming. Even at the album's best I find it a bit lacking. There are some good songs like Bad Guys Wear Black with it's groove and chorus, Metal Nation with it's melodic anthem sound, and Where Angels Fall with it's sort of epic/melodic feel backed with a bit of symphonic touches. Basically, when the band gos more melodic it tends to sound a bit better, but I would have loved at least one good ripper too.
Overall, this album doesn't leave me with much of an impression and I can't see myself listening to it a lot. It might be decent for hardcore Primal Fear albums, but if I want to listen to Primal Fear in the future, I don't see myself reaching for this album much. Frankly, this album is just a bit dull. Not bad, but not exciting. I'm beginning to think this band might be starting to slip.
Highlights: Bad Guys Wear Black, Where Angels Die, Metal Nation
Rating - 3.0/5
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