I must be honest: it’s my first Primal Fear review ever. I checked some video’s in the past and loved them, but missed them each time when they played in Belgium. Today I get a chance to review their 13th album and got sucked into their brand new jewel as they pop up one jewel after another once you opened the treasure chest called Metal Commando!
Let’s enjoy of the most interesting promo talk coming from the label:
“Sit down and get your notebook ready for a quick lesson in serpents - when a snake's skin gets too tight, the creature sheds it. The same snake emerges beneath however now rejuvenated, bigger and ultimately more powerful. This process could also be used to describe Germany's most reliable heavy metal export, PRIMAL FEAR, on their crushing new record “Metal Commando”. The band have cast their old skin to reveal the same relentless unit underneath, however now showcasing their new growth in many directions. Let's let founding member and mastermind Mat Sinner explain the very essence of their 13th album:
“What was heavy is heavier, what was epic is even more epic, what was fast is faster and what was dark is darker.”
One thing becomes instantly apparent, even without reptilian allegories: “Metal Commando” is yet another level in the life and times of these soaring metal eagles. PRIMAL FEAR delivered a jolt to German heavy metal as early as 1998 with their eponymous, ferocious debut, fortifying their well-earned status with a following onslaught of rapid successors. They have now achieved a rebirth of epic proportions, even outperforming their viciously strong last release “Apocalypse” (2018), an album that deservedly yielded their highest-ever chart entries in the USA, Germany, Canada, Japan and Switzerland.
That leaves us with the superbly fitting album title “Metal Commando”. Mat Sinner (producer of the album) offers a tongue-in-cheek explanation: “Back on our very first US tour the guys over there gave us that nickname - ‘German Metal Commando’. Really, I have no idea as to where it came from or who started it all but it somehow stuck with us.” It indeed suits what's likely the strongest record of their career so far. Just like everything else on “Metal Commando” - prepare for the onslaught."
Now let’s go back to this epic album. It starts with lots of pathos and almost Wagnerian: I Am Alive. It feels like a rebirth, a fresh start, with new energy but with lot’s of experience from the past and thus better then ever before! It’s fast, hard, sharp and devilish! The guitars sound fresh, just as the vocals. The song screams for a high position in the charts as for now they can’t play it on stage (it will be for sure a memorable moment once they can go back on tour)! They perform like a real metal commando: fighting against demons (the real ones, but also the ones hidden inside themselves). They won! Along Came The Devil has vocals that reach pretty high and roaring guitars. The chorus is catchy as hell and sound just perfect! You wont escape this one neither!
Halo raises the pathos with a bombastic start and an almost like divine feeling. The music is speeded up, just as the vocals! It’s as if an eagle saw food and is heading down to catch it and we fly along on it’s tail! What a thrill! Hear Me Calling is a slower song, but the guitars are still roaring. The vocals sound pretty clean and almost romantic. I hear a touch of 70’s glam rock (with a catchy chorus). More headbanging comes with The Lost & The Forgotten. This song clearly sounds like a war song as you can almost hear the soldiers marching, knowing they might not survive. I Like the guitars and the vocals! The chorus is – once again – catchy as hell! Be ready to sing along! One of my favourite tracks on the album is the raging and hard hitting track called My Name Is Fear. It’s also a very mind blowing track with a very good live feel! With I will Be Gone comes a fragile ballad and time to face the other side of this band! It’s a cool surprise and has it’s place on a CD with the best ballads of 2020! I like the acoustic touch and the backings! One of the tracks they absolutely have to play once they can perform again on stage is for sure: Raise Your Fists. This song has the right chorus, the right moves and the right tempo! Once you start listening to it will stay glued inside your head and play on repeat like forever and a day!
Howl Of The Banshee is one of those tracks that will please guitar lovers as we geta lot of solo’s and guitars on fire, whilst the vocals are taking a walk on the vocal chords by going from low to very high as if it was just a child’s game (the end reminds me a bit of Guns ‘n Roses during You could be mine). Another fuelled track is Afterlife, where the guitars get their fifteen minutes of fame whilst the drums are almost exploding!
