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A little more than by the book Power Metal, but nothing too unique.-
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| Primal Fear: Unbreakable |
Power Metal
Frontiers Records
January 24th, 2012
- Unbreakable (Part 1) - 1:41
- Strike - 4:50
- Give 'Em Hell - 3:13
- Bad Guys Wear Black - 3:39
- And There Was Silence - 5:25
- Metal Nation - 5:24
- Where Angels Die - 8:29
- Unbreakable (Part 2) - 6:20
- Marching Again - 5:54
- Born Again - 5:00
- Blaze of Glory - 4:05
- Conviction - 3:59
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| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 57:58
Review posted on January 24th, 2012
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| | Overall Score: 7.5/10 |
 
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Primal Fear (1998) • Jaws of Death (1999) • Nuclear Fire (2001) • Black Sun (2002) • Devil's ground (2004) • Seven Seals (2005)
New Religion (2007) • 16.6 (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) (2009) • Unbreakable (2012)
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| EP(s): |
Horrorscope (2002)
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| Single(s): |
Out in the Fields (2001) • Metal is Forever (2004) • Bad Guys Wear Black (2011)
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| Compilation(s): |
Metal is Forever (2006) • 16.6 - Live in the USA / All Over the World (Box Set) (2010)
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| Live CD(s): |
Live in the USA (2010)
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| DVD(s): |
The History of Fear (2003) • 16.6 - All Over the World (2010)
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| Review |
German Speed/Power Metal act Primal Fear has been around for quite some time, having formed back in 1997, and staying strong since. In their career, there have been eight full-length offerings made available to their fans. As of late, the group has been putting out their latest efforts through Frontiers Records, and that hasn't changed one bit for their largely anticipated 2012 ninth full-length album, Unbreakable. While the new material is still a far cry from the energetic output of the group's earlier releases, Primal Fear has done a good job maintaining a solid sound for their loyal fan base. But will this be the album to throw back to their roots, or is this going to be another stable mixture of styles?
Well, Unbreakable is far from a throwback to the band's earlier years, and in many ways continues to show the group's aging through the more traditional material being performed. With that comes the more obvious audio quality for modern Heavy Metal and Power Metal recordings. The cleaner quality does hinder the group slightly, largely in the vocals that, while still strong, can show some straight at times that the music simply doesn't mask, and some of the higher notes don't end up with the same impact because of how clean the production ends up. Aside that, there can also seem to be a bit of a foggy sound to the songs overall, which really shows itself on "Where Angels Die." The lighter atmosphere of the album doesn't really hold it back too much though, but it's hard to deny that a strong bass presence than what it is here and a deeper tone would have made the songs a little heavier in favor of the band. The guitars have a decent amount of distortion to them that does give a bit of a Power Metal beauty to the recording among some edgier Metal attitude, and they work for the more traditional approach the band is going for here. This is coupled with cymbals that become really obvious in the mix much of the time, though not in a manner that takes command of the music, only to assert their existence with the listener. The snares of the kit sound a little weak as well, not really having a tight, louder snap to them, while the bass kicks have a very blunt thud.
All of that sounds like it might be painful to listen to, and in all honesty it really isn't the most awe-inspiring production you will find. The quality of the release leaves much of Unbreakable to sound a lot more lifeless than it really should have been. Of course, there's still a number of truly enjoyable tracks that do seem to bypass these problems, which are the more upbeat songs like "Strike" and even the lead single "Bad Guys Wear Black," though this doesn't cover the more impressive type of songs that come later. The first of the two has a bit of a faster pace with extra vocal effort put in, which sounds fantastic with the additional echo effects despite the falsetto not quite being as powerful as they could be given how hard they are being belted out. The gang chants have a very sharp impact on the listener, coming in quickly with a strong echo that declares their importance amid the more melodic mid-range singing that makes up that portion of the song. The latter of the two is more of a traditional Power Metal track that utilizes a good deal of galloping drum beats to make it a catchy rhythm against a solid higher pitched clean singing performance that doesn't go too high, having a stronger performance in the chorus that even includes some deeper singing that actually sounds a little comical as an accompanying effort sadly. It may not be the most engaging track, but it really is fun in a cheesy Metal worship way. There's also "Conviction," another straight forward track that takes itself just a little more serious, but still has that upbeat vibe with a strong driving sound that really sticks to the mid-tempo pace. There's honestly nothing unique about it, using some rather simple chords that chug along, but in the end that simplicity, in an odd way, actually saves the track and makes it a suitable closing to the album as well.
But with that said, there's still some rather serious tracks to be found. "Metal Nation" keeps with the worship theme, but is handled in a much more serious tone with a slightly slower pace, and "And There Was Silence" takes on a more practical Power Metal approach. The song itself is pretty strong with its faster pace and consistent drumming over held guitar notes mixed with some faster, catchy riffs. But it's the chorus and guitar solo that grows to a faster pace and is really impressive later on that really stand out the most here, bringing in a bit of an emotional push through the manner the vocals are song, and the music itself just sounds like it was composed as a track in sorrowful homage. This really is the first song that you'll find your head bobbing along to as well, being rich enough thanks to those faster chords and melodies to almost cancel out all the issues the cleaner production causes, and the lack of falsetto attempts that just don't have the same bite as they once did. Of course this isn't the last time it'll happen, as "Where Angels Die" takes another slower paced emotional seriousness to the music that casts a good deal of beauty to the rich slower guitar chords and well paced drumming that causes the same infectious reaction, but mostly during the chorus and another impressive guitar solo. The rhythm to the start of the album finds the drumming adding a little more richness to things, but the main verse finds a good deal of echo on the kit against much cleaner guitar leads that sound acoustic, similar to the more electric chords without distortion on "Strike." The chorus again refrains from really belting into falsetto, but the additional compassion that "And There Was Silence" seems a little more amplified and makes you want to belt along with it, or even pick up a guitar to play along with the track, as well as the appropriate and soothing solo.
That about sums up all that really is impressive about the album. Unbreakable is far from a bad album, and there are still a number of tracks you'll find yourself really enjoying throughout the album. Aside some of the production issues and a bit of the age on the band showing through, this is a solid effort that is geared more towards a traditional Power Metal sound. Some songs are a little richer than others, and the more serious songs really stand out the most here, but there isn't really a moment you will find yourself reaching for the skip ahead or eject button. The safer nature of the release also makes for it a release ripe for a good amount of replay time, and an album that you can easily throw on regardless of the situation you're in. If you enjoyed Primal Fear's recent material, you'll easily enjoy this one. But, given the more traditional vibe of the album, those hoping for the more Speed Metal fueled material will definitely be let down, though if you approach it not expecting that really won't be as let down. After all, who doesn't want to kick back to solid fantasy and Metal worship Power Metal once in a while?
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Frontiers Records. |
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