689. Primal Fear / Primal Fear. 1997. 3/5

Primal Fear is a project that came together with the initial pairing of bassist Matt Sinner, from the veteran German metal band Sinner, and vocalist Ralf Scheepers. Scheepers had parted company with Gamma Ray a few years previous, and had since auditioned for the lead vocalists job to replace Rob Halford in Judas Priest. When that didn't come through, these two formed the band, and produced this eponymous debut album.

The influence of the writing is pretty hard to miss. Scheepers' vocals had always lent themselves to a very Rob Halford kind of similarity, and while this album is not a Judas Priest clone, there are certain nuances that can be easily heard. Chainbreaker, the very Judas Priest-esque opening song leads off with that very direction in mind. A number of other songs on the album also have that Priest sound about them, though in many ways that can be attributed to the way Ralf sings those songs than probably any deliberate attempt to make them sound like the legendary British band.
There's an interesting cover version of Deep Purple's "Speed King" (entitled "Speedking" here), one that will probably divide most listeners. Many will enjoy the faster, heavier version of the classic song and revel in it, while other will no doubt find that the general essence of the track has been compromised, allowing the best parts of the original version to leak away. I personally enjoy Primal Fear's version while still believing that the original version will always be the best. Kai Hansen makes a guest appearance on the album, laying down guitar solos on "Formula One", "Dollars" and "Speedking" which adds a nice touch.
"Battalions of Hate" is one of the catchiest songs on the album, a good rhythm and drum beat with Scheepers' vocals at his best. However, to be honest, the remainder of the album is pretty stock standard fare, which doesn't make it bad, but probably robs it of some of its originality. The songs are solid if unspectacular, and can become enjoyably familiar or steadily dull depending on your mood at the time.

There's nothing overly breathtaking here. As a debut effort it is rock solid, utilising the best aspects of the European power and speed metal genre mixed with a healthy dose from their metal influences. I enjoy the album now as much as I ever did, but perhaps the enjoyment I get from their following albums is what leads me to look for the best in this release. Not a bad starting point, but better was certainly to come.