Primal Fear - New Religion review
| Band: | Primal Fear |
| Album: | New Religion |
| Style: | Power metal |
| Release date: | August 2007 |
01. Sign Of Fear
02. Face The Emptiness
03. Everytime It Rains [feat. Simone Simons]
04. New Religion
05. Fighting The Darkness
1 - Fighting The Darkness
2 - The Darkness
3 - Reprise
06. Blood On Your Hands
07. The Curse Of Sharon
08. Too Much Time
09. Psycho
10. World On Fire
11. The Man (That I Don't Know)
+ Fighting The Darkness [video] [digipack bonus]
+ Sign Of Fear [video] [digipack bonus]
Primal Fear have often been accused of sounding too much like the metal gods Judas Priest, but "Seven Seals" and now the latest effort from these German heavy metal heavyweights, "New Religion" are beginning to slowly push these remarks under the carpet as they edge away from the straight forward heavy, power metal style, and into more symphonic, ballad-oriented waters but still keeping that crushing metallic edge that they do so well.
"New Religion" is quite a stark contrast compared with the self titled debut or "Nuclear Fire" for example, but now the band sound more modern and the song writing is more mature in the way that every song is not just a great guitar riff with drums plodding along, but the album as a whole shows diversity. Ralf Scheepers has always had one of the best singing voices in metal and this album just solidifies that statement even more as "Sign Of Fear" kicks the album off in suitably heavy fashion, leading straight into the first slower song of the album "Face The Emptiness". Here the symphonies are prominent running through the song accompanied by Ralf Scheeper's majestic voice making the powerful chorus even more grand, but not to the degree that it sounds so pompous and over the top.
This is generally how the album proceeds; "Fighting The Darkness" is an awe-inspiring nine-minute epic and "The Curse Of Sharon" is another ultra catchy ballad-type similar to the aforementioned "Face The Emptiness". Simone Simons of Epica makes a somewhat commercial oriented appearance on "Everytime It Rains" but this track is one of the weakest on the album, it is a good job we have the inclusion of some more typical Primal Fear tracks in the form of the crushing "Blood On Your Hands", the speed metal influenced "Too Much Time" and typical power metal stomper "World On Fire".
Primal Fear have always delivered the goods in the past, they have "quality" written all over them and so there is definitely no reason to question them now. "New Religion" may catch a few people off guard that are expecting an album of unrelenting, one way, relatively simple power metal such as the self titled debut, but once the slight change in style has been adjusted to accommodate for, there is an album full of top quality melodic metal just waiting for you to fall in love with and sing along to. If you loved "Seven Seals" then I can guarantee this will be one of your top albums of the year.
Comments
Comments: 21
Visited by: 107 users
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| Bararey Winter is Coming Posts: 3139 From: Kuwait  |
The release date for this album is mid January in the US, I could have had it a few weeks back at ProgPower, but I was too cheap to pay $17 for it, regretted it 3 hrs later, went back and it was sold out  And speaking of them sounding like Judas Priest, at the end of their show they introduced band members and when it came time to introduce the Vocalist, Mat said "Ralf Scheepers", and I was like man what's wrong with him can't even say Rob Halfrod's name right  (yeah I realized minutes later it was time to go to sleep!)
---- "Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died." Ser Jorah Mormont
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| Jason W. Razorbliss Posts: 3523 From: USA  |
Oh, I just don't like this release at all  I've seen a few other reviews on this disc, praising the "epic" track "Fighting the Darkness"... what a terrible song! It's totally devoid of emotion and is just epic for the sake of being epic. Length does not make a song epic... The only song I even care about on this disc is "Face The Emptiness," which would have been just an average track on a better release; but here it's the only thing I can deal with. The song "Everytime It Rains," with the one and only Simone Simons is a cheap pop/metal song that shows even a great singer sounds useless in a bad song. What a letdown for her compared to Epica's work.This CD just turns my stomach, and I can barely get through it. I just don't know what you see in it Primal Fear's ballads are just whiny emptiness, not an "epic" experience. I don't make it a mission to disagree so heavily with most reviews, but I just don't understand this (or other reviewers perspectives)....
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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| Jari Posts: 8 From: Finland |
Seven Seals was a perfect album but this was a disapointment for me + the production is a pretty weird, Ralf sounds like an robot on some songs.
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| Baz Anderson Posts: 13237 From: UK  |
wow, I am really surprised - this will be one of my favourite albums of the year. Primal Fear always do it for me I thought the change in style, how it sounds more commercial, would displease some people, but I thought the people that really liked the band would just get over it and hear the album for the great release it is
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| BMR Monkey Posts: 98 From: Mexico  |
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| AnarChrist Posts: 253 From: Estonia |
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| +{Jonas}+ I R Serious Cat Posts: 4955 From: Colombia  |
I prefer their previous stuff, the fast and full of "great guitar riff with drums plodding along" as teh review says.
---- "Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
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| Jay Perkele Posts: 71 From: Finland  |
I really like this album and I'm a huge Priest fan so I just can't believe how much Ralf Scheepers sounds like Rob Halford (when he decides to)! Just puts chills down my spine. Go Ralph!
---- This one goes to 11
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| Mountain King K i K o Posts: 1361 From: Slovak Republic  |
Gio is right! this is the best Primal Fear album and trust me i have all Primal Fear albums except the most recent 16.6: (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)! Sign Of Fear is a killer, and fighting the darkness is the best PM ballad and one of the best ever made. This album is way better than the debut album and better than anything they have done before...
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| Angelic Storm Melodious Posts: 6675 From: UK  |
Written by Jari on 28.10.2007 at 10:37 It was a disappointment for me too, and probably the PF album I like least. There are some great songs like "Sign Of Fear", "Face The Emptiness", and "Too Much Time", but overall I found it a little bit weak. And "Everytime It Rains" is probably my worst PF song. Im not a fan of female operatic metal anyways, so Im a bit biased, and I think the song would have been a little better without her vocals, but it's still not great. "The Man That I Dont Know" is a great ballad though! xD
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| Baz Anderson Posts: 13237 From: UK |
"Seven Seals" is one of my favourites, while this album is one of my least favourites... Just goes to show how Primal Fear appeal to different people.
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 From: Canada  |
Written by Baz Anderson on 30.07.2010 at 15:29 This comment doesn't fit with your review. Or perhaps your opinion changed over time.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Baz Anderson Posts: 13237 From: UK |
Written by RavenKing on 30.07.2010 at 17:36 Primal Fear always put out good albums - this is a great album, but just not one of my favourites.
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 From: Canada |
I understand now.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Angelic Storm Melodious Posts: 6675 From: UK |
Written by Baz Anderson on 30.07.2010 at 17:53 This is exactly my view as well. Its far from being a bad album, but if I was asked which PF album I liked least, Id say "New Religion" without a second thought.  I thought the last album was a great return to form. Still not as great as my absolute faves, but it was more consistent than the previous album and a much better listen. xD
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 60947 From: Sweden  |
Written by Baz Anderson on 30.07.2010 at 15:29 My leat fav as well, but from my fav band worst album this jumps much higher as other ones
---- Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!! Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''  apos;'[image] I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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