Primal Fear – Delivering the Black
Frontiers Records
http://www.frontiers.it/album/5183/

Rating: B

Primal Fear has been described by Classic Rock Revisited’s Dan Wall as “Judas Priest on steroids,” and for many years this was a great description for the band.  In the last few albums, the band broke outside of that mold and experimented to varying degrees of success.  Now, with Delivering the Black on Frontiers Records, Primal Fear has, once again, changed direction, this time attempting to meld the past with the present.

The band took a long time making this album, and were very involved in pre-production and rehearsals, as they knew the fans wanted something more than they had been getting in the past.  The extra effort was worth it, as Delivering the Black is the most high-energy, maximum riffage, and powerfully loud album the band has made in sometime, maybe ever.  “When Death Comes Knocking” ranks amongst the best songs this band has ever created, while the epic ten-minute “One Night in December” showcases the bands approach to the album: bombastic, big and loud.

“King for a Day” opens the album, and it is clear right away, that they are no longer afraid of the Judas Priest comparisons, yet there is enough Primal Fear in there to keep their own identity.  In the press release for the album, vocalist Ralf Scheepers says: “We worked hard to create our best album ever. I already felt the vibe during the pre-production that we were working on something very special this time! And now the result is just an amazing Metal album, I’m extremely proud of!”

This one sound best cranked up to 11, so buy it, bang your head and bug the shit out of the neighbors!

By Jeb Wright