PRIMAL FEAR - review added 15th May 2009
Album Review: 16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead) (2009)
For fans of: power metal... and a few strong hints of Judas Priest
Primal Fear is a band with several albums behind them already. 16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead) is the 2nd they've released through Italy's Frontiers Records. Slightly bonkers title aside, it's quite possibly their finest work yet.
Ralf Scheepers (vocals), Henny Wolter (guitar), Magnus Karlsson (guitars + keyboards), Randy Black (guitar) and Mat Sinner (bass + vocals) make for a heavy duty line-up. This is a band that touches the boundaries of all star line-up in the world of non chart-bothering rock. Add Dennis Ward on engineering (Matt Sinner handles production) and you have an act with multi-fathomed depth.
Ralf manages to sound less consistently like Rob Halford this time round. Yes, the influences and twang are still obvious, but they come across more as coincidental likeness than blatant copycatting.
The music is rich in rhythm and depth. In places it has a grinding heavy quality that give the album a set of balls you couldn't cup in one hand, but Primal Fear never lose sight of that melodic edge that gives their sound it's pleasantly accessible nature.
'Six Times Dead (16.6)' is a fun track with lots of pompous bass and downtuned madness. Take away the heaviness and the song would make a good Euro-pop number. Fortunately the heaviness is there in all it's pulsating glory and you'll quickly find yourself head banging like a deranged monkey.
'Black Rain' has a Middle Eastern halo draped across it's scalp. The guitars and backing vocals have a definite Arabian feel as the song builds, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is anything other than a brilliant track. The chorus is is so awe inspiring it would do a James Cameron movie justice. Just two stops later, there's another track of equal brilliance. Think of the two songs as Terminator 1 and Terminator 2, only in musical form. '5.0/Torn' has a modest yet intriguing build-up into a chorus that could remove paint from a Pacific lighthouse. If it doesn't send shivers down your spine you'd better have an x-ray to make sure you still have vertebrae.
'Soar' is another song that's all about the chorus. In fact a pattern emerges as you tread your way through the album. The verses are good if nothing special, the choruses are hewn from liquid brilliance. 'No Smoke Without Fire' certainly follows the chosen path. Just to be awkward though, 'Night After Night' goes all topsy turvy and has a stunning verse structure and a very average chorus. Go figure.
The very Judas Priest sounding 'Smith And Wesson' is probably the heaviest track on the album and certainly one of the most memorable. It's pyrotechnically catchy from start to finish and deserves a small trophy for this year's best use of a firearms manufacturer in a song title. The surprisingly sentimental and soft ballad 'Hands Of Time' closes the album. Considering Primal Fear's usual sound, it's a joy to hear that they can produce such a sweet sounding track. It's arguably the best song of the lot.
16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead) is more than one dimensional, but not quite fully rounded. There's no filler on the release and plenty of the tracks will leave a lasting impression. Equally a few of the songs blend into each other and some of the verse structures are a tad uninspired. On balance, though, this is a great album with loads to recommend it and ranks as Primal Fear's best release.
Check out... The final track. Eye opening but brilliant.
Track List:
1. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
2. Riding The Eagle
3. Six Times Dead (16.6)
4. Black Rain
5. Under The Radar
6. 5.0/Torn
7. Soar
8. Killbound
9. No Smoke Without Fire
10. Night After Night
11. Smith And Wesson
12. Exorcist, The
13. Hands Of Time
Label: Frontiers Records
Artist's websites: Primal Fear , MySpace
