When a band makes it to their 14th album, you know they’re either doing something right or they have some really incriminating photos of a record company executive in their back pocket. In the case of German’s Primal Fear, I can’t completely rule out the extortion angle, but I suspect we’ve gotten to this point because these gents know how to play classic Judas Priest-influenced heavy metal with enough hooks and charm to keep folks coming back for more. Ever since leading man Ralf Scheepers parted ways with Gamma Ray and lost the coveted Judas Priest gig to Ripper Owens,1 he’s been proving the error of that decision with album after album of Priest-y metal mixed with slight Euro-power pomp. By this point in their career, you know exactly what to expect from a new Primal Fear outing and Code Red doesn’t deviate from the expected sound and style. It’s more straight-up metal with slick hooks and big vocals from the big man on the mic. Now that the metal eagle has re-landed and dropped some fresh fish, let’s sort em’ all out.
The Fear-mongers deliver the hammer early with album highlight “Another Hero” opening the show, and it’s every bit what you’ve come to want and expect from them — crunchy riffs, pounding drums, and Scheepers’ Rob Halford on roids vocal style sealing the dealio. It’s anthemic with a big, catchy chorus and much like fellow countrymen, Brainstorm, they can write these kinds of tunes in their sleep. This one was moved to the Lifting Playlist of Lord Liftmoareicon before it reached the halfway point and there it will stay forevermore. Both “Bring That Noise” (no relation to the Public Enemy song subsequently ruinated by Anthrax) and “Deep in the Night” are predictably puchy, hooky Fear cuts of good quality. They dabble in different textures on the nearly 7-minute Euro-power-infected “Cancel Culture” where strong Stratovarius vibes and minor symphonic elements seep under the door. It’s not my favorite style for them and I much prefer the beefy, brainless paeons to powerlifting, but they do a respectable job and it has enough bombast to keep you grooving.
They go from the epic ring ov power on 7-plus minute “Their Gods Have Failed,” arriving at something like Judas Priest meets Avantasia. It’s an enjoyable romp with a grandiose and dark tone and Scheepers is more persuasive than Professor X on a powertrip. The biggest qualm for me with Code Red is the relative paucity of beefbrained crunch anthems. “Steelmelter” is one such dolt bolt, and I dig it (you can hear the chorus in your head if you try), and “Raged by Pain” (ESL disaster) gets the job done too, but I want MOAR of these heavy-plated tunes to blast as I lift things up and put them down. There are a few lesser cuts here too like “The World is on Fire” and closer “Fearless” that are serviceable but forgettable. Their tried-and-true sound is clearly stagnating to some degree but they continue to get by on metal magnetism and slick writing, and they can probably do so indefinitely. At 58 minutes, Code Red feels way shorter and that’s a credit to their easy, breezy writing chops.
You come to the Primal Fear party for the powerhouse vocal acrobatics of Ralf Scheepers and the man doesn’t disappoint. His voice remains solid and forceful and he has the ability to take relatively pedestrian tunes and make them shine. He doesn’t go as wild with the upper-range stuff these days, but his delivery remains solid and impressive nonetheless. The lusty guitar threesome employed by Primal Fear continues to pay dividends, with a collection of beefy, burly riffs driving the songs along and providing decorative flourishes as needed. Magnus Karlsson is a talented songwriter as well as a good guitarist and he, Tom Naumann, and Alex Beyrodt all get time to shine as they deliver an entertaining blend of classic heavy metal and Euro-power idioms.
It feels like Primal Fear is coasting comfortably along 26 years into their existence. You can always depend on them for a few rowdy bangers and catchy cuts, and they rarely trouble you with filler or disposable goods. I may want them to lean heavier and go for their version of Painkiller or Thundersteel every time, but I can’t complain much about what they deliver here. Code Red will entertain the targeted demographic and everyone else will ignore it. In short, there’s nothing to fear here but a good time.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Atomic Fire
Websites: primalfear.de | facebook.com/primalfearofficial
Releases Worldwide: September 1st, 2023
