PRIMAL FEAR — Unbreakable (review)

Album · 2012 · Power Metal

2.5/5 · 2012-04-14
Phonebook Eater

5/10

"Unbreakable" holds tight the usual cliches of Power Metal, without adding much spice to the compositions.

Primal Fear are a Power Metal band from Germany, and have been in the scene since the mid-late nineties, managing to keep a pretty decent level of popularity among fans of the genre. “Unbreakable” is the tenth studio album these guys have released, and it’s pretty much the same thing over and over, the same formulas, probably even a few riffs are the same too, although some are fun and enjoyable.

If there is something that can’t be denied about this album is that its production is incredible, extremely polished and clear. The guitars, thanks to that, sound particularly heavy and in-your-face, and, being Power metal we’re talking about, they are fast and accompanied by the strong, ballzy vocals by Ralf Scheeper that remind a bit of Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, and the fast paced rhythm section.

However, everything in the album seems overdone, and every single riff I hear, even though some are truly good, are just not at all new to my ears. This band looks like they’re not even trying to be original, and they rather stick to the usual clichés of Power Metal, which is already a genre I personally am not always fond of, especially because of it’s cheesy melodies, which are not really abundant in “Unbreakable”, but still present, and do not pass unnoticed, unfortunately.

Some good moments are detectable, like the song “Rise” or the softer “Metal Nation”, but the rest of the tracks sound extremely over the top, overheard Power Metal anthems that don’t really differ one another.

“Unbreakable” might be the bread and butter for hardcore Power Metal fans, because of it’s faithful, strong roots, but, as an occasional listener of the genre, I must say it’s a listen that didn’t do much, nor proposed any new approaches or sonic adventures. And you don’t need much more to be slightly different from the rest.

more than 2 years ago
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Phonebook Eater wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I'm just not a huge Power Metal fan for the most part, so an album that is THIS strongly rooted can't possibly change my views on the genre. But I definitely could see other people loving the hell out of this.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Yep all opinions are of course welcome :-)

Wilytank wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Well, even the most highly praised albums can use some well thought out criticism.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Well...the album is generally highly praised on most sites I´ve visited. I haven´t listened to it myself.

J-Man wrote:

more than 2 years ago

This is one of those reviews where I completely disagree, but I also see where you're coming from. It's definitely not a groundbreaking effort by any stretch... it's just so well-made and well-composed IMO that I ended up loving the album.