Primal Fear - Delivering The Black

Power Metal
Frontiers
2014








1. King For A Day
2. Rebel Faction
3. When Death Comes Knocking
4. Alive And On Fire
5. Delivering The Black
6. Road To Asylum
7. One Night In December
8. Never Pray For Justice
9. Born With A Broken Heart
10. Inseminoid

Going into this new one from Primal Fear I'm not sure I had much of an expectation. Their last album, Unbreakable, was pretty forgettable. It really just kind of robbed me of any excitement going into this one. On the other hand, Primal Fear have only released one other album I didn't like in Devil's Ground so I was hoping for a rebound here. The last one was so bland I just really hoped the band wasn't running low on steam.

The good news is this album has way more fire than the last one. From the start the riffs have a lot more edge to them and the album sounds more aggressive than the band has in quite awhile. I liked the more melodic approach of New Religion and Seven Seals, but it's also cool to see the band showing that it hasn't forgotten it's roots. This is very upbeat and attacking material the likes of which I haven't really heard consistently from the band since Black Sun. In fact both the riffs and the guitar sound recall Nuclear Fire and even a bit of the early, even more obvious Priest worship of the first album. This is a pretty drastic step back for the band, but I guess they must have been tired of the more melodic rock geared experimentation they'd adopted on the often melodic rock/metal based label Frontiers. It's a welcome change in that it seems to have breathed some life back into Primal Fear's song. Primal Fear really don't let their foot off the gas much on this one and it's a pretty heavy experience. I think my only real gripe is that the album comes off as a bit overproduced at times for the material. The obnoxiously up front cymbal crashes in King For A Day are one example of the production being a bit distracting and the backing chanting in Rebel Faction that follow seem a bit unnecessary. This problem is most evident on the bloated epic One Night In December though with it's pompous piano, strings, and bell intro. The song isn't even that bad, but I'm not sure it needed the symphonic treatment. It just tries a little too hard to be epic and the length of this track is also not really necessary. The ballad Born With A Broken Heart is another one with a heavy handed melodic/symphonic approach, but in fairness this seems a little more appropriate in ballad form. My favorite tracks though really tend to be the ones that are more direct and just kick some ass. There's nothing fancy about songs like Alive And On Fire, Never Pray For Justice, or Road To Asylum but they have a good attacking approach with a touch of groove.

I can't help but thinking the album could have benefited from sounding just a little rawer and that Frontiers is maybe not the best label to be handling this sort of material. Despite any flaws in the sound though the songs are far better than on Unbreakable though and this is a certain improvement. This isn't a flawless album, but the riffs are there and keep the head moving. Overall, this isn't a quite a home run but it's a definite step up compared to the last release and I'll take it.

Highlights: Alive And On Fire, Never Pray For Justice, Road To Asylum

Rating - 3.5/5

Primal Fear - Unbreakable

Power Metal
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

Primal Fear - 16.6

Power Metal
Frontiers

2009

1. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Intro)
2. Riding the Eagle
3. Six Times Dead (16.6)
4. Black Rain
5. Under the Radar
6. 5.0 / Torn
7. Soar
8. Killbound
9. No Smoke Without Fire
10. Night After Night
11. Smith & Wesson
12. The Exorcist

With this marking their eighth album, Primal Fear have built a pretty successful name for themselves in the realm of power metal. Personally speaking, I've almost always enjoyed their output as I'd classify 7 out of 8 as at least good with the sole exception being Devil's Ground. With that in mind, of course I was anticipating this one.

After the rejuvenation of the Primal Fear sound and two of their best albums in the form of Seven Seals and New Religion the band does have a tough standard to meet and I can't help but feel like this one doesn't quite do it. This is a pretty good album, but there seems to be less of an epic and melodic feel and not as much of the complexities of the previous two. I don't hear as much subtle backing orchestration, etc included in the process and as such this reminds me a bit more of their older material than the recent. There definitely is still some melodic focus here and it's not as Painkiller-esque as the beginning, but nor does it seem as epic and moving. Basically, this album just doesn't hit as home with me in vibe or songwriting. This is not to say that this album is a loss as songs like Six Times Dead deliver with an interesting gang vocal punch that gives it a lot of muscle along with the riffs and Riding The Eagle is a nice typical PF speed number. Nothing new to that one really, but it is heavy and gets my head moving. Smith & Wesson is also worth noting as a nice heavy groove number which Mat Sinner has some skill at writing. Worth noting as something of an oddball track is Hands Of Time which starts out sounding very little like a metal song at all. Primal Fear has done ballads before, but this one is kinda on the soft rock side at the beginning. It does eventually pick up into a sort of power ballad mold though and isn't bad for what it is.

Overall I like this album and don't have much to complain about. It does seem like this album is a little less interesting in terms of songwriting, but it's still a pretty decent German power album with some cool riffs and a nice guitar sound. If you're a Primal Fear fan than there's not much doubt you'll find some good songs here.

Highlights: Six Times Dead, Smith & Wesson, Riding The Eagle

Rating - 3.5/5

Primal Fear - New Religion

Power Metal
Frontiers

2007

1. Sign Of Fear
2. Face The Emptiness
3. Everytime It Rains
4. New Religion
5. Fighting The Darkness
6. Blood On Your Hands
7. The Curse Of Sharon
8. Too Much Time
9. Psycho
10. World On Fire
11. The Man

In the wake of Seven Seals I'd say there's a fair amount of anticipation out there to see what was next for the Primal Fear camp and I certainly was waiting for this one myself. Successful experimentation seems to be the general consensus for Seven Seals and that can be a hard thing to pull off. Any sound change always comes with the risk of alienating past fans. Now 7 albums deep I'd say Primal Fear has shown their longevity though as sticking around that long is something of an accomplishment in the metal scene. Not to mention that all Primal Fear's albums have been released within 1 or 2 years of each other. No problems so far with this songwriting well running dry.

New Religion picks up very much where Seven Seals left off as the melodic touches that album brought into the fold are in full effect. This new dimension to the band seems as powerful as on the last album to me and just offers a broader range within the band's sound, making for a more diverse and enjoyable ride. By no means has the Primal Fear of old been lost, the band has simply matured and expanded with excellent results. Everything from the most metal of shrieks and punishing guitar to piano and orchestration can be found contained within this disk and in this reviewers opinion they are done equally well.

I'd say the bottom line is everything this band has to offer can pretty much be found here. If it's blistering heaviness you want then you only need hear the punishing crunch guitar and blistering screams of songs like Sign Of Fear and Psycho. If it's swift, flowing energy with melodic touches that you want then look out for Face The Emptiness, Too Much Time, and World On Fire which come off as powerful and incredibly catchy. This album isn't done yet though as orchestration and incredible emotion drive songs like Everytime It Rains and Fighting The Darkness to the winners column as well. These were probably the biggest surprises of the album for me as I've never really thought of Ralf Scheepers as an emotive singer and more as a screamer. Ralf proves his range here though and I never would've thought it listening to their earlier albums. There have been ballad moments from the band before but never to this degree of success in my opinion. The play off between Ralf Scheepers and one Simone Simons of Epica on the track Everytime It Rains is particularly amazing to me as those two sound like they were made to sing together. The hardest part of reviewing this album for me was trying to pick out highlights when so many songs shine for different reasons.

Primal Fear have just done it again and I continue to be impressed with how this band builds on it's sound continually throughout it's already 7 album length catalogue. From a screaming sound heavily inspired by Judas Priest to more power metal speed sounding material to melodic and orchestrated elements this band has shown continual growth and I think it's safe to say that their sound is now entirely their own. Seven Seals blew me away and this album shows even more growth and drives their sound home. I would definitely recommend this to any fan of power metal and perhaps even beyond that. Basically, I think anyone reading this should give Primal Fear's New Religion a shot.

Highlights: Everytime It Rains, Face The Emptiness, Fighting The Darkness, Psycho, Sign Of Fear

Rating - 4.5/5

Primal Fear - Seven Seals

Power Metal
Nuclear Blast

2005

1. Demons & Angels
2. Rollercoaster
3. Seven Seals
4. Evil Spell
5. The Immortal Ones
6. Diabolus
7. All For One
8. Carniwar
9. Question Of Honour
10. In Memory

After the lackluster attempt at experimentation that was Devil's Ground and all the talk of this being a stylistic leap for Primal Fear, I've gotta say I was very worried for the future of PF. Speculation as to what this album would sound like was rampant and ranged as far as the band going in a nu-metal direction. Well... this certainly isn't nu-metal... but it's likely to suprise Primal Fear fans. Hell I am one and it suprised me.

I think going into this album you have to keep a slightly open mind. If you go into this one expecting nothing but ripping speed and screaming highs then you're probably not going to like this album. For Primal Fear this is pretty mid-paced with more mid-range in the vocals. Instead of going for blazing speed this album focuses much more on melodic hooks and suprisingly emotive singing. Some very subtle orchestration works itself in the backround as well and serves to add emphasis to points in the songs. I'm reminded of Sinner's more melodic material a bit listening to this and Mat Sinner revisits the song A Question Of Honor with PF here. The cover of sorts comes off very well and is pretty representative of the sound on this disc. This is totally not what I normally look for in a Primal Fear album but it all works out extremely well. Suprising is definetely the word I'd use if I only use one for this review.

One thing is for sure listening to this... they have succeeded in their aim to expand their sound and make an album which doesn't sound like the others. This is just a much better, less awkward attempt at mixing things up than Devil's Ground was. The only real nitpick I have with this album is that it would have been nice if they still included some speedy rippers on here. There are some heavy tracks to be found but really no real Black Sun or Lightyears From Home sort of stuff. In the future it'd be nice if that sort of song is not entirely forgotten but it's hard to complain when all the songwriting here is so solid. The only track I don't like is Carniwar which is the seemingly obligatory lame inclusion. Primal Fear is back... albeit in a slightly different form. I can see this one becoming one of my favorite PF albums.

Highlights: All For One, Demons & Angels, Rollercoaster, The Immortal Ones

Rating - 4.0/5