With great success
Primal Fear mixed classic Heavy Metal elements with very strong Power Metal in their first three albums. Their fourth output titled Black Sun continues this line but still succeeds in sounding refreshing.
The title track has
Primal Fear written all over it, a strong mid-tempo rocker with a driving rhythm section, now we are getting warmed up.
Some cool technical guitar work makes the main rhythm of
Armageddon considerably more interesting, the subsequently excellent guitar solo passage also helps a not that thrilling song in becoming around overall good.
To enter the category of one of the bands better songs we find
Lightyears From Home, the very melodic chorus sounds fantastic and the diverse drumming, dual lead thrill and powerful drive are all placed in a balanced and coherent order.
That Black Sun doesn't hold back when it comes to fast and heavy stuff is represented with cuts like the furious
Mind Machine and the stunning
Controlled. The last mentioned one is a pure aggressive monster with some killer riffs and a phenomenal drum execution, on top of this super tight rhythm we get thrilling lead action and an intense refrain.
Silence is a welcomed breather that immediately invites you in with a cool lick. Spectacular rhythm guitar play, the melodic chorus, Ralf's warm voice and a great deep bass foundation melts into a great harmonious creation.
A more complex direction is gone for with
We Go Down, a mid-tempo song with some cool changing detours.
A critical remark concerning this all in all very strong collection of songs is that some tracks seem like they just need a bit more structuring and a replacement of a few standard components with something more dynamic.
Revolution is one example of track that lacks something really memorable to save it from being quite uninteresting and a bit monotone.
Magic Eye has a bit of the same problem; it just doesn't really get under my skin with its quite standard rhythm and chorus. It seems that these songs lack a creative spark to give them a stronger identity, something to remember them by, sure they have a certain forceful drive but that's just not enough for a really successful song.
A big plus for the general impression is the intelligent use of the twin guitar attack, it really creates a more changeling and diverse sound when you have two great guitarist that supports and feed on each other, rhythm and lead wise that is.
Fear is a song where the dynamic guitar job gives it that something extra.
I'm not overly thrilled or enlightened by the overall decent lyrical content of stuff like war, media control, pride and longing.
Sound-wise the production is well adjusted, powerful and clear.
Summing up: Black Sun follows the classic
Primal Fear tradition, which equals a high quality release, sounding refreshingly experimental from time to time.
Written by
Tommy Saturday, March 5, 2005
Show all reviews by TommyRatingsTommy: 7.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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