* En anglais uniquement
A European power metal combo known for melodic riffing and lyrical bombast,
Primal Fear emerged in the late '90s. Based out of Germany and founded by former
Tyran Pace and
Gamma Ray vocalist
Ralf Scheepers and bassist
Mat Sinner, the band's compelling blend of speed and melody (intricate dual-lead work and soaring vocals) evokes NWOBHM greats like
Iron Maiden and
Judas Priest, the latter of which courted
Scheepers after the departure of
Rob Halford in 1991.
Primal Fear became fixtures in the European heavy metal scene during the 2000s, releasing a slew of well-received albums, and found mainstream success in the 2010s with the release of
Unbreakable (2012) and Delivering the Black (2014), which charted both at home and abroad.
Formed in 1997 around the talents of
Scheepers,
Sinner, guitarist
Tom Naumann, and drummer
Klaus Sperling, the band quickly recorded a handful of songs for Japan-based record company JVC Records. Those tracks caught the attention of
Nuclear Blast, who signed the group the following year and released
Primal Fear's eponymous debut album, which charted regionally and featured a guest appearance by guitarist
Kai Hansen of
Helloween and
Gamma Ray fame. Guitarist
Stefan Leibing joined ahead of the release of 1999's
Jaws of Death, which saw the departure of
Naumann due to health problems, and the arrival of new guitarist
Henny Wolter, who made his studio debut on 2001's Nuclear Fire. That LP led to the band's first U.S. appearances in the guise of several large metal festivals, and they returned to the studio in early 2002, recording and releasing
Black Sun, which featured a guest spot from
Halford six-stringer
Mike Chlasciak.
Wolter departed the scene shortly thereafter, allowing
Naumann to return to the crew.
Sperling left the group the following year and was replaced by kit man
Randy Black, who appeared on the band's fifth LP, 2004's
Devil's Ground. That album included what would go on to become one of
Primal Fear's most notable songs, "Metal Is Forever," and was promoted via a massive world tour that saw the group hitting Europe, Japan, the United States, and South America. Released in 2005,
Seven Seals was supported by a European and Japanese tour alongside power metal gods
Helloween.
The band inked a record deal with
Frontiers in early 2007, leaving
Nuclear Blast to release the best-of compilation
Metal Is Forever.
New Religion, their seventh full-length and first for their new label, was issued later that September, and saw
Wolter returning to the group and
Naumann departing once again. The album performed well, and featured a guest vocal from
Epica's
Simone Simons, as well as ambitious orchestral arrangements from Matz Ulmer and
Mat Sinner. Arriving in 2009,
16.6 (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) heralded the arrival of the virtuosic
Magnus Karlsson, who replaced longtime guitarist
Stefan Leibing. Issued in 2012,
Unbreakable became the first
Primal Fear outing to chart in the United States, a feat they accomplished again in 2014 with Delivering the Black, the latter of which featured a guest appearance by powerhouse vocalist
Liv Kristine (
Leaves' Eyes,
Midnattsol,
Theater of Tragedy). Citing "irreconcilable differences," drummer
Randy Black left the group the following year, and was replaced by
Francesco Jovino, who made his
Primal Fear debut on 2016's Rulebreaker. In 2017, they issued the live album Angels of Mercy: Live in Germany, with the full-length
Apocalypse (their 12th studio effort) arriving the following year. Their next studio album,
Metal Commando, was released in 2020. ~ James Christopher Monger