It hardly seems like 15 years since Primal Fear joined the likes of Hammerfall in spearheading the return of trad metal, and yet here we welcome the arrival of the Germans’ 10th studio album while all around them the youth – or burgeoning sections of it – embrace the denim-over-leather culture that the 90s supposedly killed.
Although Primal Fear’s Judas Priest-worshipping power-play has changed little since their early days, they’ve still got the chops to mix it with the best of them, as Delivering The Black confirms. If you’re looking for surprises, look elsewhere, but if muscle-flexing riffs, steel-tipped solos, barrelling rhythms and stratospheric screaming make your balls vibrate, this is one to ‘add to cart’.
Striking the right balance between meat and cheese, trademark tunes such as King For A Day, Alive And On Fire and the strident title track nestle alongside orchestrated mini-epic One Night In December and syrupy power ballad Born With A Broken Heart.
A powerhouse performance from a pack of wily old dogs.
