926. Primal Fear / Rulebreaker. 2016. 3.5/5

Primal Fear has had a long and storied career, and some of their early albums are standard bearers of the European speed/power metal genre from the early 2000's. They were fast, fresh and powerful, and their original take on what was occurring in music at the time gives them a high place amongst those releases. In recent times, the speed seems to have leaked away from their music, which isn't a problem as long as the song writing and musicianship remains solid and accessible. As much as I enjoy Primal Fear's work, when this album came to be released I felt that, for me, it was a crossroads that had been reached, and needed to be negotiated.

First impressions can be deceiving. It is immediately noticeable that, like recent albums, that tamping down of the tempo in the songs has been continued. There is nothing frantic about the music, and in fact all of the early songs on the album have a one-time tempo, a mid-range emphasising that is not in first gear, but probably only second or third at best. That is not meant to be a criticism, but it is a big change from those early albums. It's a big pull back from the roots of the band, and of the genre they come from. The good news is that it doesn't affect the quality of the music, just that they are all back in the mix now from where they used to be. Ralf Scheepers has also dragged his vocals back from the heights of his pitch from twenty years ago to what must be a much more comfortable area for him to sing. It doesn't stop him from reaching those heights when he wants to, and there are moments he does extend himself here, but in the same way that the band's music has become less frantic, so has the vocals. Again this isn't meant as a criticism, just as a fact of comparison.
So as we have established that this is now probably more of a traditional heavy metal album than a power metal or Euro metal album, how does it stack up? To be honest, it is just as enjoyable as their recent releases. There is nothing stunning on the album, or anything that really stands out as an instant classic or divergent from the pack in regards to song quality. The opening tracks are all finger tappers, songs that have the right drum beat to drive the song along and keep it active, not allowing the mind to wander while listening to the album. Every listen to the album improves the outlook. "Angel of Mercy" merges nicely into "The End is Near", with some nice touches from guitarists Magnus Karlsson and Alex Beyrodt. Other songs that are note worthy are "Bullets & Tears", "The Devil in Me" and "In Metal We Trust". There are songs here that have lyrics that are instantly catchy - just one playing of the title track "Rulebreaker" had my young daughter and son walking around the room singing along to the chorus, though perhaps they just thought it was appropriate for their behaviour. "The Sky is Burning" is perhaps closest in breaking the mould, being more in the style closest resembling the god-awful power ballad. This is recovered by the more pleasing pace of "Raving Mad" which is the closing track on the album and completes the album in a pleasing fashion.

While hesitating to use the metaphor, recent albums from Primal Fear have become almost AC/DC-ish in nature. Each has as similar tempo and song layout, and after having enjoyed and experienced Rulebreaker over the past few weeks, I can only say that they are now the kind of band that you know what you are going to get. It's solid, it's reliable, and it is enjoyable. Mat Sinner retains his stamp on the band, and one can't argue with what he has managed. While some may be disappointed they haven't provided more, others will be pleased just for the fact that they have the familiarity around them once more.

Rating:  "Can't sort the pictures all blurred and skewed, dystopian vision I'm simply screwed"  3.5/5