You would think that after 11 studio albums that German power metal kingpins Primal Fear would eventually run out of steam...well, it hasn't happened yet and certainly not with this latest release for Frontiers Records, Apocalypse. After the brief yet truly majestic instrumental title track opens things up, the band tear into their heaviest ripper in years, the monstrous "New Rise", and it's clear that Primal Fear seem intent on claiming the power metal throne all to their own.
With their 3-guitar army of Alex Beyrodt, Tom Naumann, and Magnus Karlsson in full force here, vocalist extraordinaire Ralf Scheepers is at his shrieking best, complemented by the fine rhythm section of bassist Mat Sinner and Francsco Jovino. "The Ritual" is a crunchy number with a great chorus and plenty of distorted riff-o-rama and shredding solos, while the more epic sounding "King of Madness" offers up mountains of riffs, catchy melodies, and soaring Scheepers at the top of his game. "Blood, Sweat, & Fear" is pedal to the metal classic Primal Fear, "Supernova" is the albums emotional power ballad (just missing a guest female vocalist in this instance), and energetic bashers "Hounds of Justice", "Hail to the Fear", and "Cannonball" are tried and true power metal fare as only Primal Fear know how to deliver, the crunch factor on 10 and Scheeper's wailing to the heavens. The bands melodic, and somewhat proggy side comes out on the engaging "The Eye of the Storm", another tune that in that past surely would have seen a female guest to duet with Scheepers on the chorus, but here the vocalist goes it alone, and quite successfully I might add.
I almost came into Apocalypse thinking that the Primal Fear formula was starting to wear a little thin, but I'm happy to report that once again the German powerhouse have knocked it out of the park once again. Crisp, metallic, and anthemic, with virtuoso singing & musicianship at every turn, this is another in a long line of exceptional releases from Primal Fear.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
01 Apocalypse 1:45
02 New Rise 4:14
03 The Ritual 4:05
04 King Of Madness 4:25
05 Blood Sweat & Fear 4:56
06 Supernova 5:21
07 Hail To The Fear 5:06
08 Hounds Of Justice 3:51
09 The Beast 3:43
10 Eye Of The Storm 8:00
11 Cannonball 4:43
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