Primal Fear

Nuclear Fire (Nuclear Blast)
by Scott Hefflon

Didn’t get to this one last issue, and while it’s been out since January, it deserves mention. Most probably know by now that Primal Fear are what Judas Priest mighta been post-Painkiller if things’d been different, but I have to say that while each individual aspect of Nuclear Fire is top-notch, there’s something in the stitching that bugs me… Tough to explain, but while Ralf’s vocals are mind-boggling – daring swoops, terrifying heights, and warbled layering that’ll have you worrying about any fragile glassware in the house – and the guitarwork is similarly hair-toss-worthy (and the dual fills and solos’ll make many guitarists put down their axes in shame), there’s just something that doesn’t connect in the mix. It feels somehow disjointed, like each member pushed so hard to do their personal best that they forgot to work as a team. Not all the tunes feel that way, but enough do that I mention it. Petty, yes, but it’s a dark cloud threatening a superhuman album… Final stab: One thing Primal Fear picked up in Priest’s shadow was the ability to name their songs after the cheesiest cliche you can think of. Even Manowar’d get a chuckle from some of these, and those guys have no shame. Get a load: “Angel in Black,” “Kiss of Death,” “Back from Hell,” “Now or Never,” “Fight the Fire,” “Eye of an Eagle,” “Bleed for Me,” “Nuclear Fire,” “Red Rain,” “Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove,” “Fire on the Horizon,” and “Living for Metal.”
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