{"id":51031,"date":"2016-01-27T08:29:53","date_gmt":"2016-01-27T13:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=51031"},"modified":"2016-01-27T08:29:53","modified_gmt":"2016-01-27T13:29:53","slug":"primal-fear-rulebreaker-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2016\/primal-fear-rulebreaker-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Primal Fear | Rulebreaker<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\n– Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"PRIMALThe quintessential Power Metal juggernaut that is Primal Fear rocks on taking no prisoners. Rulebreaker<\/em> is the band’s eleventh studio album \u2013 and fortunately they did not break any of the Metal rules that they themselves established over a long and successful career. Rulebreaker<\/em> is Metal through and through, and the follow up to 2014’s Delivering the Black<\/em> is quite probably the band’s best release to date.<\/p>\n

Any band with a long history like Primal Fear’s is bound to undergo lineup changes \u2013 but the successful band manages to make moves that solidify their sound as they go. Metal’s own Screamin’ Eagle Ralf Scheepers continues to front the band His trademark rasp and ear shattering scream are instantly recognizable. Veteran guitarists and long time band members Magnus Karlsson and Alex Beyrodt are joined by the returning Tom Naumann giving the group a triple guitar attack that is second only to Iron Maiden’s Smith\/Murray\/Gers. Founding member Mat Sinner delivers his usual solid bass riffs and strong backing vocals. New drummer Francesco Jovino (U.D.O.) does an excellent job filling Randy Black’s shoes, and he and Sinner make a fine team that can deliver on all fronts.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngels Of Mercy\u201d kicks off the album on a high, and the band never looks back. This track has everything a power metal fan would want \u2013 intensity, power, screaming guitars, intricate hooks, superb bass and drums, and great vocals. As usual, the band focuses its lyrical content throughout on the traditional genre themes of conflict, bravery, fear, and of course, Metal! Ralf pushes to the extreme high end vocally over Jovino’s rolling double bass drumming on \u201cThe End Is Near.\u201d \u201cBullets And Tears\u201d is more of a conventional Metal track built around big guitar hooks and solid bass\/drum teamwork. Juicy Metal riffs and the best guitar work on the album fill the title track, and Sinner’s bass takes center stage through the sing along chorus. Of course, the band pulls out all of the metal clich\u00e9s (in a good way) in their anthem praising their chosen style – \u201cIn Metal We Trust.\u201d Scheepers and the band almost sound like they are channeling Judas Priest on this one.<\/p>\n

Delicate synths and near symphonic vocals open the epic 10-minute long \u201cWe Walk Without Fear,\u201d a song filled with varying tempos, powerful layered vocals, fantastic guitar solos – superb performances from all. This track highlights the many influences that make Primal Fear the powerhouse act that it is \u2013 the careful listener will pick up elements of Iron Maiden, Dio, Judas Priest, and Dream Theater to name a few. \u201cAt War With The World\u201d returns to conventional power metal with its driving and upbeat rhythm line, while \u201cDevil In Me\u201d slows things down a bit allowing vocals, bass, and drums to dominate in almost an early 80s metal style. \u201cConstant Heart\u201d is a guitarist’s expo piece thanks to the driving riffs, squealing harmonics, and quick lead breaks with power turned up to 11. \u201cThe Sky Is Burning\u201d is the closet Primal Fear gets to a ballad \u2013 thanks to well done acoustic guitars during the verses that lead to a massive electric chorus and simple yet soaring solo. Thrashy rhythms and hooks back up Scheeper’s over the top delivery (Rob Halford would be proud!) on the closer, \u201cRaving Mad.\u201d The three guitarists have the chance to go just a bit mad on this track as well!<\/p>\n

Primal Fear’s Rulebreaker<\/em> is truly a superb release. It is a shining example of the power metal genre, yet the band mixes things up enough that the album should have very broad appeal. There are the high energy power tracks, the lower key (almost) ballad rockers, and a mix of every hard ‘n’ heavy genre in between. No matter the tone or tempo, the engineering is razor sharp and the performances tight so it is a pleasant listen!<\/p>\n

Rulebreaker is an amazing album and sure to find its way onto many a Top-10 list. Any other band considering a Power Metal release this year will really have to step it up to even come close to Primal Fear’s latest. Very highly recommended!<\/p>\n

In Metal We Trust \u2013 indeed!<\/p>\n

Genre: Power Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nRalf Scheepers (vocals)
\nMagnus Karlsson (guitars)
\nAlex Beyrodt (guitars)
\nTom Naumann (guitars)
\nFrancesco Jovino (drums)
\nMat Sinner (bass, vocals)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tAngels Of Mercy
\n2.\tThe End Is Near
\n3.\tBullets And Tears
\n4.\tRulebreaker
\n5.\tIn Metal We Trust
\n6.\tWe Walk Without Fear
\n7.\tAt War With The World
\n8.\tThe Devil In Me
\n9.\tConstant Heart
\n10.\tThe Sky Is Burning
\n11.\tRaving Mad<\/p>\n

Label: Frontiers Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.primalfear.de<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis – Sr. Columnist — The quintessential Power Metal juggernaut that is Primal Fear rocks on taking no prisoners. Rulebreaker is the band’s eleventh studio album \u2013 and fortunately they did not break […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":51032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13652],"tags":[10518,2317,8859,12007,374,4004,10517,1097,259,11142,12005,12006],"class_list":{"0":"post-51031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2016","8":"tag-alex-beyrodt","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-delivering-the-black","11":"tag-francesco-jovino","12":"tag-frontiers-records","13":"tag-magnus-karlsson","14":"tag-mat-sinner","15":"tag-power-metal","16":"tag-primal-fear","17":"tag-ralf-scheepers","18":"tag-rulebreaker","19":"tag-tom-naumann"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}