Primal Fear – Domination (Reigning Phoenix Music) [Simon Black]
In a world where long term reliability seems to be an increasingly scarce resource, thank fuck that Primal Fear are still around. For an act formed out of their frontman not getting the role as stand in for Rob Halford when he accidentally left Judas Priest, they have lasted a hell of a lot longer than poor old Ripper Owens ultimately did (although ironically both frontmen have a penchant as guest lungs for hire on numerous projects and indeed, sometimes together).
This is a band that has consistently been cranking out high calibre power metal since forming in 1997, with this being their whopping fifteenth studio album since 1998’s self-titled debut hit the racks. That said it’s not been without changes in line-up over the decades, but last year saw a significant and turbulent period for the band that has seen guitarist Thalìa Bellazecca and drummer André Hilgers joining Scheepers, Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson to the inevitable splurge of doom-scrolling online. Change is often as good as renewal, as any Doctor Who fan will tell you and, in this case, it seems to be a seamless one because once again I find myself struggling to find any fault with their latest release.
2023’s Code Red took a subtler and more mature turn which may have caused long term listeners to raise their eyebrows, although in my rarely humble opinion it delivered that subtle change without a drop in quality. Domination though is classic all guns blazing Primal Fear in you face Heavy Fucking Metal and for my money is up there with the best of the previous fourteen releases.
From the opening bars of The Hunter it’s clear we are in reliable solid pounding territory, with catchy choruses, the seemingly contradictory mellifluous yet relentlessly ear-shreddingly heavy guitar work and Scheeper’s frankly incredible vocal work.
He’s always been something special, because let’s face it to even be considered for the Priest job you need one hell of an octavel range, but it’s one that’s difficult to sustain when you are in your sixties. I had begun to wonder if he was struggling as some of his recent collaboration projects had seen him taking things down a scale or two, but this feels like a full and effortless full four active performance of the kind littering the albums since 1998.
The hardest challenge after decades of grind is keeping the songwriting fresh, and Domination achieves this beautifully, as well as pulling a few surprises. I wasn’t for example expecting the Neo-Classical body swerve in the middle eight of Far Away, a song that’s catchy as hell, but not lessened by the unexpected technical flourish it effortlessly dives into.
If that sort of thing is not your cup of chai, then hard and heavy I Am The Primal Fear is a stone-cold classic, and it’s not alone, as the fist punchingly addictive chorus of Heroes And Gods would not have looked out of place on Helloween’s latest opus (another classic in waiting by the way). It’s still clearly Primal Fear, and the interplay between the two guitarists is incredibly strong, with Bellazecca adding another slightly symphonic layering with the backing vocals, which really fleshes out the sound.
For a band that have been at it for nearly three decades it would be easy to sit back on their laurels and not try any harder than they have to, but the fact is this album feels as fresh and energetic as anything they have previously released. I suspect that’s not the first time I’ve expressed that opinion either, as
I’ve had the privilege of reviewing most of their output in the last few years – both new studio material and some of the inevitable remastered classics that keep a band alive in a world where rights to your music on labels’ past can disappear at a moments notice. But this feels different.
A band I have always wanted to see live, but who sadly rarely grace these shores (I know, I couldn’t go to Stonedead), I find myself consoled once again with an outstanding studio album that really hits hard. At a point in their career when they could so easily just coast along, Primal Fear reliably just totally delivered the goods. 10/10
Nailed To Obscurity - Generation Of The Void (Nuclear Blast Records) [Matt Bladen]
Having been formed in 2005, Nailed To Obscurity celebrate, or is that commiserate 20 years with their fifth studio album Generation Of The Void. Their last record Black Frost was released in 2019 so there has been quite the wait for this North German act to return.
Signing to Nuclear Blast and the release of Black Frost, opened a new chapter for the band as the leaned more towards the cleaner, more melodic sounds that bands such as Katatonia, Opeth and many others have embraced in recent years, the melodic sound has been here for a while but on Generation Of The Void, they expand it further allowing songs such as Spirit Corrosion to have a "woah woah" radio chorus even if there's still a hangover to harsh vocals as the title track is all delivered in the clean sound.
Yes they still are a death doom band, using growls on tracks such as Clouded Frame, Glass Bleeding or The Ides Of Life when called for to join with the heavier moments of riffage from Volker Dieken and Jan-Ole Lamberti are needed, they are still a band that play heavy music though as Overcast (which reminds me of Gojira) shows with it's ferocity. But mostly Raimund Ennenga uses his mournful cleans to bring the melancholic, introspective lyrics to life, the guitars too weaving ringing non distorted textures that shift into solos.
There's been a change since 2019 with Lutz Neemann joining on bass on 2024, completing the bottom end alongside drummer Jann Hillrichs, their gloomy rhythms anchoring track such as Misery's Messenger which begins with a light proggy touch before the blast beats roar back into full on death. Generation Of The Void is Nailed To Obscurity siphoning 20 years of experience into their most accomplished album yet. 8/10
Wolves - Self-Titled (Ripcord Records) [GC]
Having originally formed in 2016, with all members being in various other UK bands, Wolves became the priority and have been about for a while and it seems a bit mad that they are they are only now releasing their debut album, Self-Titled. 9 Years on the scene and stages should have given them all the preparation and plenty of time that is needed for this record to succeed.
It starts very chaotically with LEECHES! which is full of juddering Dillinger-esque guitars and furiously angry hardcore punk that mixes just enough metal in places to create an unpredictable and energizing listening experience, Reformed (Try Love) begins with a whirlwind of styles all thrown in together there is a lot more focus on a metallic hardcore sound for the main part of the track but the scattergun approach is evident the throwing together of sounds always keeps you on your toes as your not sure what is coming next.
As is the case again on A Stolen Horse which even throws in some post-metal elements and this then adds a bigger and slightly more epic feel over what we have heard previously, and shows that if you do it well you can chop and change sounds and it won’t affect your sound.
All Of Something is a battering ram of crunching guitars and jarring rhythm changes that are unexpected and wonderfully intertwined, with the metal bits sounding particularly devastating here and the way the vocals admit to issues and how they are to solve them adds another layer of wonderfully tender emotion to the track.
New Liver, Same Eagle really pushes the boat out and clocks in at over 7 minutes, this is where the post-metal influence really comes to the fore with all the soft and airy guitars layered over strong thundering guitars, the atmospherics are there also and while its all done well, it just sort of throws me a little bit as I wasn’t really expecting it and I do feel it goes on slightly too long for its own good!
Thirteen Crows and One Pigeon then kicks things back into gear with style, it’s another track delivered with urgency and attitude, the whole song jars and attacks from all angles and it just creates an all-consuming cloud of chaos, but it does feel like it just drifts toward the end rather than finish with a bang?!
A Guide To Accepting One’s Fate feels like another gear change, it has the big guitars and more time changes and variation, but it has a more stoner/doom element to it with big grooving riffs that mix with the hardcore element and it’s another example of how to mix styles expertly.
The Rich Man And The Sea is a track I cant really get my head into, it has the hardcore sound pushed to the fore but also has a slightly dare I say this emo sound in places and sounds like something that would have been released in the mid00’s by some obscure scene band that 10 people liked, it’s a weird one and will probably take some time to land properly!
Nicaea To See You (To See You Nicaea) is a ridiculous title that you could only get away with in the UK and thankfully the ridiculousness doesn’t carry into the music, this feels like a more straightforward hardcore track, it’s full of driving rhythm and urgent, heavy guitars which all hit their mark wonderfully! Emergency Equipment crashes in with all the chaotic unpredictability of earlier tracks and blends in the big stonery type element again, but this track is another long runner and therefore also sprinkles in a few more elements and allows them all to shine individually and it’s a suitably triumphant end.
From not really knowing what I was going to get, I can say that I am very happy with what I heard and the wait for this record was worth it! There were a couple of things I didn’t get fully sold on, but I am sure with further listens they will all make more sense in the whole scheme of things. All I can say is, even if it takes 9 years for a follow-up to Self-Titled you will still have this to listen to so that’s a bonus! 8/10
Nuclear Dudes - Truth Paste (Self Released) [Mark Young]
So, from Atmospheric Black Metal to, well I’m not completely sure how to describe it. With various tags that range from EDM to Industrial Metal to Grindcore Powerviolence twinned with what looks to be songs that have their tongue lodged firmly in their cheek and this is either going to be a riot or a drag.
For a moment I thought that Napalm Life was launching into Welcome To The Jungle and then its grind, grind, grind – furious BPM’s and electronic frippery. As soon as it starts, its done and gone. Holiday Warfare, well it could be the soundtrack to the worst 18-30 trip ever. With repeating noise, it settles into punishing set up.
Vocals are screamed through filters, unintelligible (think Mike Patton to the nth). There is absolutely no pattern, it’s just bleurgh – have it. It certainly is not what I expected and I’ll be honest I don’t know if I am going to stay with it. Truth Paste is all extremes, from its starting at 100mph into a breakdown and back again, reaching impressive speeds but without going anywhere or making me feel that its worthwhile sitting here and listening to it.
Dirty 20 sees them change it over a little, its still rapid but its restrained a little so you pick up on what’s going on. There is a belting melodic line that underpins everything and yes, it’s over quick but it’s a nifty little piece of work. And then we are back to the crazy house with Sad Vicious, and then the dulcet tones of one Clarence Boddicker chimes in, lifted from that moment in Robocop where he relieves Officer Murphy of a hand and they give us probably the best song on here.
Concussion Protocol’s mix of Terminator ‘deh-duh-duh’ and riffology mixed up nicely with Alex Murphy's dying screams. It tears into Space Juice with the pair of them now feeling like they have been built and arranged as opposed to thrown together. I’m not suggesting that the others have actually been thrown together, its more like they land better than the others. Again, it’s a personal opinion and you might find its ‘mind blown’ with what you get on here.
Juggalos For Congress has a stormer of a riff, low down and filthy that turns on a penny to bring in the EDM aspect which burns into Pelvis Presley. You get the idea, no chance to relax as they throw each song at you without pause. The trouble is that with that approach and the sheer speed that the songs start and finish there is very little opportunity for them to resonate with me.
Death At Burning Man and Cyrus The Virus are our closing songs. Death amps up the dance amongst the grind and Cyrus has merit as being the longest track on here with the most serious set up to it. After 23 minutes or so, we are done and looping back to comments made at the start about it will go one way or another, surprisingly it kind of fell down in the middle.
It wasn’t the riot I expected nor was it a drag. It had moments that were very good but the rest didn’t hit with me at all. 6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment