Having been a metalhead for over thirty years one genre I’ve never really gotten into was power metal. Not purposefully mind you – I had always steered toward the thrash and darker side of the metal family tree. After listening to this new Primal Fear CD Rulebreaker, I know for a fact I’ve been missing out on some great music all these years. The two opening songs on here literally melted my face off with some seriously killer ass-kicking metal!
”Angels of Mercy” starts things off by pulling you in with a fast and heavy beat which fires you up and calls to your inner warrior with powerful lyrics like ‘Listen to the battle drum calling at your soul’. How can you not bang your head and want to slay the dragons in your life listening to something like that? “The End is Near” is one song I’d love to see these guys play live, it has that raw, crunchy, angry guitar sound that I love so much – the power and energy coming from this one is just amazing and I can picture the crowd going absolutely wild.
This CD certainly has a little something for everyone – besides having your face melted off, there’s prog-style “We Walk Without Fear”, which consumes you into this eleven minute theatrical metal orchestral journey. “The Devil in Me” has a really powerful bass groove, while “The Sky is Burning” is a slower, more melodic style track. Your neck will be sore after the first two songs and there’s no stopping from there with the musical power and chemistry this band has on the rest of this release.
Singer Ralf Scheepers says regarding the new CD: “We have so much energy, fantastic melodies and a hell of a drum groove on each and every song, there is no doubt that the fans will love it as much as I do!” They certainly have a new fan here with me, I’m off to go check out the rest of their catalog. This CD is one to crank up and let the neighbors hear too. \m/
Top Tracks: The End is Near, Angels of Mercy
Rating: 7/10
Primal Fear “Rulebreaker”/ 2016 Frontiers Records/ 11 Tracks / Website / Twitter / Facebook