Customer Reviews

Primal Fear

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ahh.. just thinking about when I got this album a few years ago makes me smile.

Primal Fear is a german metal band formed after Ralf Scheepers and Mat Sinner played a few covers of Judas Priest songs at a concert for a bit of fun, and had so much fun that they decided to form a Metal band in the vein of Judas Priest. Well, this is what I heard anyway!!

This album starts off with a little intro to set the atmosphere, and then suddenly a huge riff comes in for the song Chainbreaker, one of the many highlights on the album.
This metal isn't original, but the vocal melodies are great with catchy choruses and the production is SUPERB. This album really has a 'wall of guitars' sound to it. It really makes you want to headbang!

Other highlights on the album are Battalions of Hate and Running in the Dust.

If you love the basic DNA of heavy metal, ie. Huge guitars, amazing vocals, and good catchy over the top songs, then you should love Primal Fear.

Primal Fear(1998). Primal Fear's debut album.

In this modern day age of commercialized, nu metal garbage like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Linkin Park, it's nice to see a band be able to deliver a classic heavy metal sound to a new generation of headbangers. Primal Fear is that band, and they're one of the first to make me aware of the modern European heavy metal scene. Primal Fear was founded by bassist Mat Sinner and former Gamma Ray vocalist Ralf Scheeprs. If one thing is to be noted, you can tell that the band must've played Judas Priest's Painkiller album for hours before they rehearsed, because the band borrows HEAVILY from their British heavy metal heroes in both sound and style. Of course, there are the obvious Gamma Ray, Helloween, and Accept influences in their sound as well, but since those bands themselves sound a lot like Judas Priest, you can tell where the main inspiration lies. The drumming on here greatly resembles Scott Travis's drumming, and the "twin guitar attack" of Tom Naumann and Stephan Leibing sounds a lot like the Glen Tipton/K.K. Downing guitar duo. Most notably however, is how Ralf Scheepers sounds AMAZINGLY just like Rob Halford. While both have slightly different low ranges, the glass-shattering screams are nearly identical. In fact, I can't help but wonder what Judas Priest would've sounded like with Ralf as the replacement vocalist instead of Tim Ripper Owens, considering some of the screams on this disc.

So since the comparisons between PF and JP are clearly evident, why am I not complaining about this band who is seemingly cloning Priest's style?

Because quite simply, THEY DO IT SO WELL! Ever since the 80s, heavy metal bands all over the place were trying to recapture the edge and virtuosity of JP, but it wasn't until now that a band actually managed to accurately emulate their heroes. I've seen lots of reviews bashing this band for their "lack of originality" and "non-existent growth" between albums. But maybe it wasn't the band's intention to change their sound. The only purpose they really had in mind was to deliver a solid platter of classic heavy metal to anyone who wants it, and in that area Primal Fear passes with flying colors. They're much better than most generic power metal bands, including the aformentioned Gamma Ray and Helloween. For one, the music is much more memorable due to the fact that Primal Fear uses the same catchy songwriting style of JP, plus the band often approaches the borderline of thrash metal at times. Other people bash on them for their lack of intelligent lyrics and "heavy metal" themed anthems. I say, who cares? Sure, some of the "metal rules" anthems can be cheezy, but that doesn't stop the fact that they're just great songs hear. People care too much about bands having something intelligent to say that they just forget that heavy metal is fun, entertaining music to listen to. Isn't that what heavy metal is all about? The point I'm trying to make is that not all bands have to be original to have talent. As long as they play well at what they're doing, that's all that matters. They aren't just clones of JP, but they do infuse their own energy into the music.

With that out of the way, onto the album. The debut is the first of many scorching metal PF albums. Many Priest fans consider this album as the direction Priest should've taken after Painkiller, instead of Jugulator and Demolition. Of all the PF albums, this one has the most memorable songs on it. Plus, the production is crisp enough to sound good, and just raw enough to keep the heavy edge that the music needs. It starts off with a short intro which breaks into the album's opener 'Chainbreaker', followed by the similar 'Silver & Gold'. Both songs feature excellent guitar work and vocals. The catchy 'Promised Land' changes the pace up a little bit before heading into the speed metal of 'Formula One'. 'Dollars' is a decent slower rocker, though not one of the better slower tracks that PF has done. 'Nine Lives' brings the pace back up a bit, and right back down for the gloomy ballad 'Tears Of Rage'. This song has Ralf using his lower range vocals, so it's definitely a noteworthy track. Right after it is a blazing metal cover of Deep Purple's 'Speed King'. The album finishes off with the three more speedy tracks 'Battalions Of Hate', 'Running in the Dust', and 'Thunderdome'. The former track is one of my favorites, sort of resembling Priest's 'Between The Hammer & The Anvil'.

So will people actually come to like PF's debut album? Well that depends. If you're looking for originality, intelligent lyrics, and anything remotely standing on its own, then look elsewhere because you're not going to enjoy PF. However, if you're the type of heavy metal fan who can't get enough of JP's Painkiller album, or if you just want another good dose of quality heavy metal music, then you will find PF to be right up your alley. RECOMMENDED TO ANYONE WHO LIKES HEAVY METAL.

Other recommendations:
-'Nuclear Fire' by Primal Fear
-'Painkiller' by Judas Priest
-'Resurrection' by Halford
-'Balls To The Wall' by Accept

Remember Judas Priest and Iron Maiden in their primes? This describes the Primal Fear CD. Top-notch songwriting with an even better performance, especially the vocals. If you are a fan of this genre, get this CD.

Primal Fear is total Priest worship...Ralf Scheepers obviously kneels at the alter of high priest Halford.This is what modern day Judas Priest should sound like!Screeching gee-tars, pounding drums, and bottom end bass makes my applebag roar.My girlfriend always puts this disc on before we get hot 'n nasty.It gets her in the mood to rock!--Dan the Man.

Strong Judas Priest influence here with a bit of Helloween for good measure. Sure, this album isn't exactly groundbreaking but the songwriting and playing are top notch. If you like 80's style power metal than check this out.

Great example of the Euro metal explosion that I have grown to love these past couple of years. The guitars are first rate and the vocals are top notch. I love Formula One and If Dollars were Dirt.

In 1997 bassist vocalist Mat Sinner , one of the most consistent forces of German melodic hard rock/metal since the early 80s', collaborated with lead singer extraordinaire Ralf Scheepers (ex-"Gamma Ray"), the latter would contribute backing vocals on what was to be `Sinner's biggest selling album to date, "The nature of evil" (1997) .

With the resurgence of European power metal in the late 90s, Sinner and Scheepers put together a power metal project under the name of "Primal Fear". The line up consisted of Ralf on lead vocals, Matt on bass and backing vocals, `Sinner' guitarist Tom Newman and drummer Klaus Sperling. Their combination of high pitched vocal attack, metallic riffs, twin guitar melodies, extensive solos and inventive double bass drumming. In retrospect, it would be fair to say that their musical approach was amongst the most advanced/sophisticated sounds the power/melodic metal genre had produced mainly because `Primal Fear' effectively combined only the best elements of the rock-metal genre while performing the material with indescribable intensity. The `Primal Fear' concept was rewarded by considerable chart entries in Europe and Japan.

The album holds one of the most characteristic songs of the band, "Chainbreaker", along with the devastating `Silver and gold", the melodically agonizing "Thunderdome", and one of the greatest power ballads in their catalogue "Tears of rage" which would be the first in a list of mind blowing power ballads to follow in their other albums.

Overall I could not consider the "Primal Fear" debut as anything less than a classic metal album, and automatically established the new project as a full time band. A major shock to 90s power metal that would go from strength to strength in the years to come.

primal fear's JAWS OF DEATH is an excellent album that fans of germanic metal bands such as helloween, gamma ray, and hammerfall will certainly enjoy,i highly recommend it.The jewel case it comes in is also very cool as well

goo

It is true that some of the memembers in Primal Fear were in other bands before Primal Fear was formed. I'm not much into music group's detailed history. I just get into the music. If you are just getting in to Primal Fear, move along to another album. You'll want to buy this one last. When I first bought this album is was okay, then it became a little better. Now I don't listen to it at all. I feel much effort was not put into the album therefore the resulting product. Here is a track by track breakdown of the songs.

1) Primal Fear. This is 'post to be the music they play for an intro to a handball game or something like that. No words, just 0:33 of music/sound.

2)Chainbreaker. One of the good songs on this album if not the best. Effort was put into this song.

3)Silver& Gold. I still have no idea what this song is about. It gets anoying after a while. You want to like it, but you just say enough and change it.

4)Promised Land- Just like the above track 3

5)Formula One. The heart was in the right place for this song, but the music is not there to back it up. The words could of been better. I understand what was trying to be expressed, but could of been done better.

6)Dollars. Have no idea what this one is about either. Same as number 3.

7)Nine Lives-I can listen to about half of this song before I change it. I guess it once was okay. But then the most of the album was at one time.

8)Tears of Rage- This would be the 5th best song I guess.

9)Speedking. I think this is the worst song

10)Battalions of Hate- Well, this is the 2nd best song. The bass is great in this song if you have a good stereo system to listen to it on.

11) Running in the Dust. The 3rd best song.

12)Thunderdome- This song is the 4th best song.

13)Breaker- This song is an Accept Cover. Too much bass in Primal Fear's version. Good song though.


I think anyone who purchases this album may like it at first but will grow board with it as time passes by.

This is the order I suggest that you purchase Primal Fear Albums.

1)Jaws Of Death
2)Nuclear Fire
3)BlackSun
4)Devil's Ground (digipak Version)
5)Primal Fear

DVDS they are on.

6)History of Fear (dvd)
7)Monsters of Metal Volume 2 (DVD)
8)Death Is Just The Beginning Volume 7 I think