This June, I was in a little bit of a metal funk. I was constantly searching for new and unique bands, but try as I might, nothing in the metal world appealed to me for a while. But one day I stumbled across a Youtube video for a Grave Digger song, and I was instantly hooked. I realized right there that pure, raw, unfiltered heavy metal suddenly appealed to me more than it ever had; even more than the large amounts of black and tech death I consume on a daily basis. Soon enough, I was collecting albums from bands that I had always known about but never fully appreciated, such as Grave Digger, Sabaton, and most of all, Primal Fear. To me, they were hands-down the best modern heavy metal band in existence, and their first few albums are nothing short of simplistic genius (I listened to all of their albums in order). But somewhere along the line, something went wrong with Primal Fear, and I think it started at the Devil’s Ground album. This is where their bombastic heavy metal formula began to grow stale, and the band apparently realized that they needed to diversify their sound if they wanted to stay alive. Seven Seals came after Devil’s Ground, and was Primal Fear’s most diverse album to date, and one of my favorites. As I continued blazing through the band’s discography, I was anticipating even more from the following album, New Religion, but as it turns out I was very disappointed. Primal Fear had lost their touch, it seemed, and although I tried, I could simply not get into that album. Then I learned that the band had recently released a new album, oddly titled 16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead). So I picked it up, hoping to find an improvement over New Religion, but on first listens, I found none. At all. In fact, for whatever reason, I loathed this album, and thought it was boring, unoriginal, and completely unlike the Primal Fear of the past. I set the album aside for a month or so, and decided to listen to it again recently so that I could review 16.6 (and rip it a new one in the process).

Only this time, I didn’t hate it. Not at all. While certainly not Primal Fear’s best album, it’s a consistent and very enjoyable one. I honestly don’t know why I disliked this on my first listens; maybe I was just in a weird mood. Most likely though, I was so into traditional heavy metal at the time that I was put off by the modern elements on 16.6, since it’s easily one of the band’s least-traditional records (but then, why did I love Seven Seals? Hmmm...). While the heavy metal element is still ever-present, much more power metal influence is incorporated into Primal Fear’s sound this time around. This is most evident with Riding The Eagle, a full-on, speedy power metal track with a catchy, sing-along chorus and the trademark PF heavy riffing blended in, and No Smoke Without Fire, a symphonic song that could almost pass as a Kamelot track. There’s contagious lead guitar riffs all over the place that give 16.6 a very distinct feel; while other Primal Fear albums were defined by their riffs, this one is defined by the melodies. Consequently, Ralf Scheeper’s vocals have been toned down quite a bit, and are much more melodious than siren-y for most of the album. But don’t worry, die-hard fans; there are several old-style Primal Fear songs on the album, packed with the crushingly heavy riffs and Halford-esque vocals that made the band great in the first place. Six Times Dead, Soar, Killbound, Smith & Wesson, and The Exorcist are all examples of this, and while they’re can’t match what was heard on Nuclear Fire, they’re still great heavy metal songs.

As is typical with Primal Fear, 16.6 is not an original album by any means. Though they try at several points throughout the record to sound fresh, they only succeed once, and that’s on the intro to Black Rain, which has a Middle Eastern flair and reminds me much of the new Prince Of Persia videogames. Everything else, though, sounds like a rehash of the same heavy and power metal albums you’ve been listening to for the past thirty years. Then again, none of their albums are very original (except Seven Seals), but their earliest releases were made incredible by the sheer heaviness of it all. As I’ve already stated, 16.6 doesn’t come close to matching the heaviness of the band’s past works, but thankfully the melodies are good enough to support the album on their own. I must say, though, they chose to close the album in the WORST possible way: with Hands Of Time, a sappy acoustic ballad. Now, I’m all for ballads, and think that they are usually quite necessary on a power metal album, but… this just sucks. I apologize for sounding unprofessional, but it does. If you get this album, I highly recommend you stop listening at the next-to-last track, The Exorcist, which is the best song on the album and would make for an excellent closer. Or, if you get the limited edition, skip over the sucky ballad (there’s that unprofessionalism again) and go right to the two bonus tracks, Cry Havoc and Scream, both of which are excellent.

I don’t really need to get into the lyrics here, as they are typical of Primal Fear and talk about fantasy, violence, and eagles. But if you pick this up, you won’t be doing it for the lyrics; you’ll be doing it for Primal Fear’s extremely solid and heavy music. This is a great, consistent record, and a huge improvement over New Religion. Recommended for all Primal Fear fans, and heavy/power metal fans in general.

Oh, and could someone please explain to me the album’s title? I’ve searched all over and can’t find any real meaning to it. I feel like that kid in fifth grade that leads a sheltered life and still doesn’t know where babies come from.