PRIMAL FEAR
“METAL COMMANDO”
Album Review by Syl Pdll

10/10

The metal commando is back! Primal Fear is one of those bands that needs no introduction because it is considered a benchmark within the metal scene worldwide and they return with an album under their arms which they have titled “Metal Commando” with which they intend to surpass their published predecessor in 2018 and which also marks the band’s return to their first record label: Nuclear Blast.

This thirteenth album begins with “I Am Alive” being one of those songs that will hook into your head immediately, not only because of Ralf Scheepers’ wide vocal range but also because of the guitar playing by employing a series of melodic chords generating a good musical contrast. The chorus is simple, short, and quite catchy.

With a musical style in the style of the old school of heavy metal, “Along Came The Devil” is presented, whose first chords evokes in our mind one of the musical influences of the band, Judas Priest. The vocal performance is fantastic, and the instrumental part allows us to take a trip through time going back to the origins of the band.

“Halo” shows a sound more inclined towards power/speed metal, adding more variety to this album and with the characteristic hallmark of the house. Like the previous song, it takes us back to the first albums of the band with a fresh and modern touch, which denotes that capacity for reinvention of the Teutonic sextet.

“Hear Me Calling” generates a change of sound for a more melodic one in which Ralf Scheepers makes the most of his vocal abilities by moving between low and high tones. The chorus is well structured with the intention of getting it hooked back into your head, a job well accomplished by the Germans.

“The Lost & The Forgotten” is one of the most aggressive and powerful songs on this album and it allows us to confirm why Ralf Scheepers is one of the most complete singers on the scene by employing a series of high tones that earned him the comparison with Rob Halford cited by the German as one of his main musical references. The duo between Mat Sinner on bass and Michael Ehré on drums (making his debut with the band on this album) are guiding the instrumental part.

Continuing with this download of power/speed metal at its best, “My Name Is Fear” is another of the songs that takes us back to the origins of the band. The execution of the drums in combination with the guitars whose soloist part is simply spectacular stands out.

A rarity that we can find in this album is the interpretation of a ballad accompanied by the chords of the acoustic guitar and some string instruments such as “I Will Be Gone” with Ralph Scheepers being the true protagonist of this story whose vocal performance it is just wonderful.

“Raise Your Fists” is a song with a rhythmic instrumental base guided by the chords of the guitars that recover that musical essence of Teutonic metal and that contrasts with the bass notes of its vocalist, instead, “Howl Of The Banshee” presents a sound closer to power metal reminding us of the musical style developed by the band on albums like Nuclear Fire.

“Afterlife” shows a very interesting fusion of sounds as it presents the classic sound of the band through the guitars and bass, but it also shows a certain influence of thrash metal in the execution of the drums and in the vocal part that is played. thanks to the ear and that once again shows that capacity for reinvention of the Germans.

The masterpiece of this album is “Infinity” being the longest with around thirteen minutes, in which the German band breaks the musical concept created throughout Metal Commando to present us a song that experiments with some progressive, melodic notes and symphonic with different sound changes where rock is manifested through powerful riffs, the force in the execution of the drums and the treble of the bass that combine with the vocal performance. It is a song that will leave you speechless, it is just wonderful from beginning to end.

Metal Commando is an album that recovers the past, present and future of Primal Fear through solid, heavy and dark songs. This album is shaping up to be one of the best works of his career and this year. It is a well-accomplished work by the German sextet, and it denotes a high level of composition at the lyrical and instrumental level.

TRACKLIST

I Am Alive
Along Came The Devil
Halo
Hear Me Calling
The Lost & The Forgotten
My Name Is Fear
I Will Be Gone
Raise Your Fists
Howl Of The Banshee
Afterlife
Infinity

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