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PRIMAL FEAR Seven Seals Nuclear Blast (2005)
Studio album number six from the German heavy metal titans, and fans will be delighted to know that, basically, the song remains the same.
Traditional heavy metal with a power edge Primal Fear aren’t breaking any new ground with this release, but what they are doing is continually pushing their standards higher and higher.
Granted, the vocals of former Gamma Ray man, Ralf Scheepers are a bit of an acquired edge, leaping around from style to style, one minute guttural, the next soaring Rob Halford style, but with songs this good and riffs this powerful, the music just carries you along.
Mat Sinner has done an exemplary job on production duties alongside Charles Bauerfeind, who has worked with Halford and Motorhead amongst others. Running through some of the highlights you have to pick out the brutal headbanging opener, “Demons And Angels”, title track, “Seven Seals”, which teeters on the edge of melodic goth, but retains a dynamic heaviness. “Diabolus” is a mid-paced, yet brutal song, with an immense riff, and the closing track “In Memory” is a surprisingly heartfelt ballad.
An epic album, in a good way, this may be the best Primal Fear have offered up yet. Whether you yearn for traditional heavy metal or lust for modern power metal, there’s something here for you.
****
Review by Stuart A.Hamilton
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