Metal Reviews

You like the song "Mind Machine" at least right? That song gets my blood pumping.

Agreed. This band has lost alot over the years. The new album is just another demonstration of the regression of this band which has been ongoing since Nuclear Fire IMO. With each album the quality and magnitude of their compositions diminishes and every new album they release tends to have an even larger amount of filler songs than their previous release did. Of my top ten favorite PF songs about seven are from NF, two are from BS and one is from DG. Seven Seals I thought was overrated and the greater complexity in their sound wasn't a strong enough selling point for that album. Not to mention the production could've been a little better and Scheepers didn't really sound in top form. And he sounds even worse on this new one. I think he's trying too hard to shed the Halfordisms in his voice. Kind of a shame. It may not be an original style of singing but nobody sounded better doing it.

Were you listening to downloaded mp3's or the actual CD, cos I have to disagree with that entire statement. Scheepers is fantastic on 16.6, much better strength wise than the previous album.
What I see everybody doing here is comparring the new material to the old material....why? They have changed and moved on from the sounds of Nuclear Fire and Black Sun. Never compare, cos every album is a progression forward and different. I take each album as it is, I never go into listening to an album, thinking it will be like something they have done 10 years ago...and whoever does do that will most always be disappointed.

In my opinion, I find that Six Times Dead, Smith & Wesson, Killbound and The Exorcist to be absolute kick ass tracks, while No Smoke Without Fire, Riding The Eagle & Soar are very solid tracks

You've got a point about progression thing, except they took a long step back.

I listened to the mp3 files ripped at 320 bitrate, but through high quality headphones. I'm way too skeptical with modern Primal Fear to drop $15 on a new CD of theirs. Turns out my skepticism was valid again unfortunately.

Maybe I should clarify my comment about Scheepers sounding bad. He is still a very competent vocalist that exhibits plenty of strength on this one. His vocal delivery is fine and not what I find fault with, in fact it may even be a little better than on Seven Seals, as I think the production is also. It's his style that I think is worse on this album. At times it sounds to me like he's trying too much to sound like the more harmonious operatic power metal singers in the genre rather than just dishing out some plain old vicious, explosive vocal lines that he's renowned for. There's nothing wrong with his style it's just not what I really seek from PF.

Musically I have to agree with the reviewer's initial thoughts upon hearing it - boring and unoriginal with no shortage of uncreative cookie-cutter riffs throughout. Maybe it'll grow on me over time like so many other albums have but I sort of doubt it.

The songwriting on the new one seems in the same quality range as most of their output.