Album Review: Primal Fear - Metal Commando

Primal Fear is an institution. They've been around for decades, released album after album that their fans have loved, and for a while filled a void that metal needed. That window sort of closed when Judas Priest returned to their old form, but do you think such trifles are going to stop Primal Fear from soldiering on? Just looking at the title of this one, that pun should make things rather obvious. Despite the small window of time where the band tried to do something a bit different, they have reliably been providing the world with all the Judas Priest we didn't know we still wanted. Their dedication to being so traditional can get in their way sometimes, but it's also why they are as big as they are.

Speaking of big, that's how the record sounds. The production of "Metal Commando" is massive, with thick guitars and immense drums. Unfortunately, the production can't do anything to make Ralf Scheepers' shrieking sound any less painful. The guy can sing, and sing well, yet he continues to mar so many of their songs with his high-pitched caterwauling. In fact, on "Along Came The Devil" it's either his voice breaking as he tries to hit those shrieks, or the recording is so hot it's audibly distorting. Either way, it sounds horrible.

The record is exactly what you would expect from Primal Fear. They settled into a groove a long time ago, and we get another album full of songs that try to punch you in the face with simple, snarling metal tracks. If you think about 'meat and potatoes' heavy metal, you wind up with Primal Fear. That's not a criticism, per se, but at this point the band has given us so much music that sounds just like this it's a bit played out. The only way for a record so in line with everything they've ever done is for it to be so sharply-written that it's unquestionably the best thing they've ever released. That's not this record.

These guys are old pros, so they know what they're doing. "Metal Commando" is a good record, but it makes some of the same mistakes Primal Fear has been making for ages. The shrieking is one of them, but not the only one. They also get so focused on sounding heavy and proving their metal credentials that some of the songs never develop the melodies and hooks that are necessary if you're ever going to have songs stick around. "The Lost & The Forgotten" is a perfect example of that. It has one of the band's heaviest riffs, and it actually plays with dynamics in the verse, but then the chorus is a barren wasteland of melody, where Scheepers and the others chant a simple line that falls completely flat. The balloon doesn't deflate so much as disintegrate.

Metal traditionalists will love a lot of the material on this record, but that's not who I am. Just having something heavy isn't enough for me, and Primal Fear's songwriting on this album once again feels like it's on auto-pilot. I know they can do better, because I've heard it from them. They have all the pieces to make a great album, including songwriters, and yet they continue to put out these records that are completely boilerplate and done to death. I may not be a big Judas Priest fan, but even I can say this record and "Firepower" are doing exactly the same thing, which is the problem. Why would I listen to this when Judas Priest's album is better?

Primal Fear is obviously happy doing what they're doing, and their fans are happy with it to. But for myself, it's not enough to win me over. I keep expecting something more, and I feel disappointed every time when it doesn't come through. "Metal Commando" is fine, but not for me.