Primal Fear

Add Primal Fear to that elite group of "true" metal warriors. Upon listening to opener "Chainbreaker," which sounded very Judas Priest inspired, a bit of investigating took place. Vocalist Ralf Scheepers used to speak the metal language for Gamma Ray and almost found himself sitting on the throne of Judas Priest, until that position was "ripped" from him. So here he is, tearing up the speedways with Primal Fear, who specializes in creating the kind of headbanging, dual guitar, and metal mayhem listeners have come to expect from Germany. The sound is huge but not complex, just thick and massively produced. Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray alumnus) lends a helping guitar hand to the metal melee, his solos sounding top-notch as always. The only complaint would have to be the semi-juvenile lyrics that take away from certain songs. Highlights from the album include the aforementioned "Dollars" (not even cornball lyrics can ruin this metal classic), "Tears of Rage," "Promised Land," "Thunderdome," and the Deep Purple cover "Speedking." So put on your jean jacket and black leather pants and get ready to pound some beers. ~ Jason Hundey