Frontiers, 2009
7/10
With Primal Fear you can be pretty sure of what you’re going to get – classic-sounding power metal and soaring vocals ground out with German precision. Despite the unusual title, 16.6 – Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead delivers quality metal on all fronts. Everything is here, from the speed metal opener “Riding The Eagle”, to pounding anthems such as “Killbound”, “Six Times Dead (16.6)”, and “Smith & Wesson”, to the epic ballads “Black Rain” and “Hands Of Time”. Things even mixed up a little bit with modern-sounding studio tricks used on “Soar” and “No Smoke Without Fire”. The production is crisp and clear, with a solid balance between the instruments while enabling Ralph Sheepers’ pipes to sing and scream above the band. No new ground is broken here, but that’s not what Primal Fear is trying to do. One could legitimately claim that Primal Fear is continuing through a well-worn formulaic path, but this is trumped by the quality of the songs. 16.6 – Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead is a solid, well-performed effort that further cements Primal Fear as one of the leading power metal bands.
Primal Fear put in a long, powerful set during their last visit to Station 4 in September (review and pictures are here), so expect another night of loud, crazy metal when they return in May.
Primal Fear will be appearing at Station 4 in St. Paul on Sunday, May 30. Support will come from Luna Mortis.
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