Primal Fear--Nuclear Fire (2001/Nuclear Blast)
Rating--8.8
Fight the Fire--RealAudio Back From Hell--RealAudio
The power metal merchants add a new guitarist to the fray (and two since the '98 debut), but the base of Mat Sinner and Ralph Scheepers remains the same, as does the band's killer sound!
There are chugs, harmonics, and double-bass fire, as the 'Painkiller'-era Priest and neck-breaking Sinner sounds continue to crunch along. Three albums in, and these
guys do not disappoint!
'Nuclear Fire' recovers some of the chord thickness that may have been missing in parts of 'Jaws of Death,' while retaining the
attitude and adrenaline that the band has forged since its onset.
Nearly every track stands out--as has become the norm. The high-note cries layered atop the
double-bass fuel in "Back From Hell" sound just like Rob Halford, and a great overlapping vocal chorus is featured in the melodic/heavy mix of "Iron Fist in a
Velvet Glove".
There's buzzsaw riffing in "Fight the Fire," "Kiss of Death" is non-stop, and all of "Now or Never," "Eye of an Eagle," "Red Rain," and "Fire On the
Horizon" are strong and steady.
For three albums in a row now Primal Fear has delivered the goods. You can't ask for much more--other than they simply stay
together, and continue to make metal!
TRACK LIST: Angel in Black/Kiss of Death/Back From Hell/Now or Never/Fight the Fire/Eye of an Eagle/Bleed For Me/Nuclear Fire/Red Rain/Iron Fist In a Velvet
Glove/Fire On the Horizon/Living For Metal
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