Primal Fear--Primal Fear (1998)
Rating--9.3
Battalions of Hate--RealAudio Running in the Dust--RealAudio
No-frills, power metal bliss. This Ralf Scheepers-led project (along with Matt Sinner of Sinner) is a mix of many styles-- 'Painkiller'-era
Priest (with the distortion clarity of 'Defenders' and muscle of 'Jugulator'); the heavy precision of
Rage; and the melodies and inventiveness of a heavier Gamma Ray or
Helloween. Makes sense, though, as Scheepers and guest guitarist Kai Hansen have pulled stints
with some of the above.
Showcased are massive double-bass drums, solos that soar, splendid guitar fills, harmonics and
pull-offs, and Scheepers at his vocal Halford-esque best.
"Chainbreaker" is a sharp and brutal opener, with an angry and powerful
chorus. A bludgeoning main riff and soaring chorus vocals bolster "Promised Land," and the heaviness is matched in "Silver &
Gold".
"Formula One" starts out with a high-pitched engine along with Scheepers, before a face-smashing guitar crunch descends...
Excellent melodic work in the solo and latter stages of the song, and heavy post chorus and verse work!
"Dollars" is a
tremendous power groove mover... Concrete, methodical, and mesmerizing. Check out the double-time riffs in the verses!
"Battalions of Hate" and "Running in the Dust" are simply superb---perhaps the top two songs on the disc. The first features biting guitar
fills in the second verses, a bruising chorus, and Ralf getting up! The latter is pure head-moving power, with caustic stop-and-go
pulls in the verses. The post-chorus procession is a tremendous melodic movement, ala a very heavy Helloween, which rolls around
the 3:05 mark. Excellent.
Both "Nine Lives" and "Thunderdome" are fast and heavy, though inevitably will be
slightly overshadowed on this opus of gems. And that, my friends, is a compliment.
TRACK LIST: Primal Fear/Chainbreaker/Silver & Gold/Promised Land/Formula One/Dollars/Nine Lives/Tears of Rage/Speedking/
Battalions of Hate/Running in the Dust/Thunderdome
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