Primal Fear
Unbreakable

"These 2000s metalheads are just impossible to please!" the members of Primal Fear must have thought after their experimental and nimble "16.6 Before The Devil Knows You Are Dead", finding themselves inexplicably facing an audience that had greeted the bold variations on theme with coolness. Rejected were the first two albums, packed with carbon copies of the sturdiest Judas Priest, the vaguely industrial inserts of mid-career were not appreciated, and now, neither is the great melodic variety achieved: a situation that would test anyone's patience.

So how to behave when, except for the die-hard core of unyielding fans (many from the glorious Gamma Ray days), Ralph Scheepers' creature just can't break through? Simple: by showing everyone that the ghosts of Halford are definitively (or almost, as we shall see) behind and practicing a healthy barrage in the name of quality heavy/power. Not the "journey into the rainbow world" kind from many pseudo-bands, but seriousness (not excessively in the Manowar sense) and mean, captivating, and never sugary choruses. Take the opener "Strike": nothing new under the sun, it seems to hark directly from their 1998 debut, but here THE voice of modern power, "the other Metal God", performs long runs of fantastic high notes that once would have been simply a tribute to Priest, now leave a big "Primal Fear" mark. This definitive emancipation from overly strict guidelines (which - I say for the less attentive or simply the occasional listener - had already been in progress for at least two albums) is the leitmotif of the album, even towards the end, references to the God of Metal increase significantly. It would be unjust not to talk about the melodic and winning work of Alex Beyrodt's guitar: in each gallop, his solo contribution is essential, as in the anthem "Bad Boys Wear Black" (as puerile as you want in the lyrics, rock-solid in musical structure) and "Metal Nation" (born precisely from one of his ideas), the most melodic pieces. Do Primal Fear make all the same albums? Well, listen to "Where Angels Die", eight minutes of metal, orchestral and progressive passages, with an acoustic leading riff, and then stop citing them as a band that is, by definition, stuck in the "Painkiller" sound.

Detractors may finally realize the value of an now great band, fans will rank this album among the best of Primal Fear, without a doubt it is the most complete.

Unbreakable: in name and indeed.