Primal Fear – 16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead)

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009, posted by K.Panagiotis

Album number 8 in the last 11 years for Primal Fear. Maybe one of the few bands that you know they will soon produce something new for you rather soon.

The new album with the strange number title is easily one of the best they have done in their career. Powerful, heavy, with a refreshing air, a great production and most of all, some of the best songwriting of the last 5 years in heavy metal generally.  I had a good feeling before listening to it and thankfully, I was right. Since ”Devil’s Ground” the music of Primal Fear seems to be driven from something like a second youth. Everything seems to go right for the band and it will surely go on like this if they keep on working hard and producing such wealthy works. Pounding metal at its best, power metal thunders, mid tempo tracks full of heaviness, some experimental tracks and something unique this time.

The track ”Hands of Time” is the most different they have written so far, a great ballad with acoustic guitars, where vocals are shared by 4 members of the band. It is really nice seeing people in all ways trying to do something different and special. Not only in music but in all aspects of life also. Primal Fear show open-minded like never before in the past and this can only lead to better and better for them, whatever these may be. I am very satisfied, as a fan of the band, as a metaller and as a reviewer also, that i can share these thoughts with you all.

The limited edition of this album will include 2 more bonus tracks. Either way, the album is worth buying and listening to it repeatedly, maybe it is the first time they achieved such a great overall variation of songs, all together in one record. Let us not forget to mention the godly cover with the trademark eagle on it, showing darker and maybe angrier than before. This is one of the best albums of this year, though it is still May and we have 7 more months to go. I doubt if there will be many with such a value. Strictly enough, i choose to characterize this as a necessary album. Buy or die!

Track List	Line Up
01. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead 02. Riding the Eagle 03. Six Times Dead (16.6) 04. Black Rain 05. Under the Radar 06. 5.0 /Torn 07. Soar 08. Killbound 09. No Smoke Without Fire 10. Night after Night 11. Smith & Wesson 12. The Exorcist 13. Hands of Time	Ralf Scheepers -Vocals Henny Wolter – Guitars Magnus Carlsson – Guitar, Keyboards Randy Black – Drums Mat Sinner – Bass