Primal Fear: Delivering the Black review

Teutonic terrors Primal Fear have unveiled their latest masterpiece of German power metal, Delivering the Black, their 10th studio album, available on Frontiers Records and is a utterly devastating piece of searing molten metal.

In keeping with previous endeavors, Delivering The Black is bursting at the seams with ear-piercing vocals akin to Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson and Geoff Tate. Not to mention insane dueling solos that flashback to greats like Dave Murray & Adrian Smith, K.K. Downing & Glen Tipton and Herman Li & Sam Totman and, lest we forget, drumming that pays homage to legends like Dave Lombardo, Gene Hoglan, Mike Portnoy and Jeremy Spencer.

Tracks like “Alive & On Fire,” “Never Pray For Justice” and “Man Without Shadow” sound like they were lifted from the Nuclear Fire or Black Sun sessions while the breakneck pace and blistering double kick of “Rebel Fraction” brings to mind “Into The Pit” by Rob Halford side project, Fight.

Title track “Delivering The Black,” “Road To Asylum” and “Inseminoid” are all reminiscent of Painkiller-era Judas Priest or anything in the Rob Halford solo collection and lead single and video “When Death Comes Knocking” will take the Priest comparisons to a whole new level with an infectious riff similar to “Heavy Duty” from the Defenders Of The Faith album.

The album also showcases a more tender and vulnerable side on songs like the almost-10-minute opus “One Night In December” that rivals Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” or just about anything in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra catalog and on power ballad “Born With A Broken Heart” that is punctuated by the stellar backing vocals of Liv Kristine.

Here’s the bottom line- If you dig bands like Judas Priest, Accept or Iron Maiden, this is the band for you. It would be easy to go on and on about the merits of this amazing band, but it is something you really need to experience for yourself.

There is plenty here to satisfy all the old school fans and just enough to create a whole new generation of them.

Rating: 9/10

-Eric Hunker