Primal Fear strike hard with their latest release. I recently discovered this one, which should have made it to my top 10 albums of 2005.
Heavy and powerful are keywords when it comes down to summing up the album with a few words. Six albums down the road, you more or less know what you get with Primal Fear. No big surprises this time, just pure Heavy Metal with Ralf Scheepers' striking vocals, strong melodies, explosive guitar work and a tight rythm section as the main attractions. Still the band does show some progression from their earlier albums.
The song quality is very high this time and the album is part of their strongest releases, on the same level as my favorites, the debut and Nuclear Fire.
Demons and Angels kicks off the ball with a massive riff before the song goes into a straight ahead pounding groove, only slowing down for an atmospheric middle section. Strong opener.
Rollercoaster provides more straight ahead-banging. A simple but catchy chorus keeps the song together.
Highly charged songs like
Evil Spell,
The Immortal Ones and
Question of Honor are all excellent and help make the album consistent.
Evil Spell in particular is superb and the way Ralf sings the line
"A slave to the evil" at 1:54 is brilliant.
The album gets sidetracked from the slick Metal mayhem from time to time. First the title track shifts the speed down a few gears, but it keeps the tension alive. The chorus feels like an official invitation to some slow motion headbanging. It is a song that lives up to its title track status.
The eight minute
Diabolus is a very atmospheric and varied effort. It provides an interesting diversion, but it isn't 100% successful. The song has its epic moments but I miss a stronger climax. The chorus is fine, just not amazing.
The other eight minute monster,
All For One is without doubt my favorite of the album. Don't be fooled by the gentle opening. The song is packed with energy and builds slowly but surely towards the extremely captivating climax. An explosive song with a highly infectous chorus. I just love that guitar line.
The ballad
In Memory feels a little out of place amidst all the fast riffs and heavy grooves but it is still a good song taken on its own.
A few issues keep the album from being truly outstanding.
Carniwar builds a good tension but the chorus fails to excite. It feels too forced. In general the lyrics also fail to make an impression on me. They lack a certain depth. Another issue that is slightly annoying is the cymbal work which has a tendency to get tedious quickly. In the chorus of songs like
Demons and Angels,
Rollercoaster and
Question of Honor it is predictable and doesn't add anything to the song. It is a minor issue, but still important enough to mention.
What makes me look past the album's issues is the quality of the music and the feelings that are harbored in it. There is an undeniable energy buried in the music and the band plays with so much heart that it transfers to the listener. In its shining moments the album is just perfect.
Seven Seals has proved long lasting and comes highly recommended for all fans Heavy/Power Metal.
Written by
Steen Tuesday, June 6, 2006
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