The new
Primal Fear album has been anxiously awaited and on the first listen it doesn't disappoint. It's varied, powerful, melodic and soars above their last album, New Religion.
Primal Fear used to play fast and furious power metal but have slowed down over the recent years and now the speed explosions witnessed on albums like their debut and the author's personal favorite, Nuclear Fire are further and further between. Lead singer
Ralf Scheepers is a main force of the band and puts names like Rob
Halford and Tim "Ripper" Owens to the test. On this album he is in fine form and holds an immense power in his voice.
Magnus Karlsson on guitar is the latest addition to
Primal Fear and while I'm unsure of how much influence he has had on the songwriting there is no doubt that the band is in an experimenting phase. There is a good deal of energy on display and it sounds like the band has a good time. The album holds many surprises and fortunately most of them work, giving the impression of a band on the edge.
First impression is indeed excellent but with closer inspection (around 15 listens) the impact fades a bit and some songs end up as being good rather than brilliant. The songs are very different and most stand out in their own way. They have interesting structures and often the way a song builds holds a few surprises along the way.
Starting out with the easy, the album opens with
Riding the Eagle, a surefire
Primal Fear classic to be. The melody is infectious, the drive is fast and powerful and
Ralf Scheepers sings as if he has unlimited air reserves. It is a soaring beast that is only let down by the monotone staccato drumming which takes up much of the sound. Some variation there could have made this something truly spectacular.
From here on the album slows down and never truly regains the speed of the opening song which is a shame since
Primal Fear excel when doing songs like these. Obviously they want to expand they do that pretty convincing as
Six times dead quickly dives into a mean groove. The song is heavy, catchy and will most likely work very well in a live situation.
Black Rain is one of those songs which holds a special atmosphere and it strikes a nerve right from the first listen. The atmospheric, haunting verse sections build up to the killer chorus, which provides a superb release. The feeling to shout along is very evident.
Some songs don't quite make the same impression with prolonged listening.
Under the Radar is a good song but feels anonymous among this varied pack. The chorus simply lacks punch.
Torn is another matter entirely. Here is a song which is complex, has nerve and a well thought out structure. The chorus is long and very effective in a slowly making its way to the back of the mind kind of way. The keyboard is also used in a good way.
Soar is what you might call a bit of an experiment. The first time I heard it I felt the much the same way when I first heard Pretty Maids'
Virtual Brutality, I was rather shocked. But where Virtual Brutality works, Soar unfortunately doesn't so much. The so called modern touch is taken way too far without making sense. Where the effects complemented and made Virtual Brutality more powerful they quickly become the crash and burn factor for Soar.
Killbound is back in the direct, straight in yer face groove. I'm not too sure about the lyrics in this one as they feel on the simple side. The song is immediately captivating but lacks variation in the long run.
As Ralf starts singing the first verse of
No Smoke without Fire there is a sensitive atmosphere running through it. The song is a sweet mid-tempo charmer with a nice flow and a good build up to a seriously melodic chorus. Good song but I can't shake the feeling that it is just a bit too slick.
Night After Night gets pretty much the same description as
Under the Radar. Too little imagination and lacking in wow moments.
I won't give away the entire album but suffice to say that the album ends in a satisfying way with both power chords and surprisingly delicate acoustics.
What first appeared to be an impressive and superb album ends up being slightly less than that. A good album that holds many surprises, many great songs but also a few not so impressive ones. Overall a mixed bag but no doubt worth checking out.
Primal Fear have expanded their musical universe of the past years but I, for one, miss the days of Nuclear Fire.
Written by
Steen Wednesday, May 6, 2009
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