Primal Fear – Domination
Primal Fear – Domination
Reigning Phoenix Music
Release Date: 05/09/2025
Review by Victor Augusto
9/10
It looks like 2025 has been an incredible year for old and famous bands releasing incredible new albums, and I reinforce my admiration when I still feel the same excitement for new material coming from bands like Helloween, Hate, Onslaught, and Sodom. They are still surprising their fans with incredible material, even though they have been in existence for so many years. In the case of the new album from Primal Fear, it isn’t any different.
Sometimes, we see ups and downs in a band’s career, which is perfectly normal after decades on road. And I have to confess that Primal Fear is a kind of band that I’ve never delved too deeply into. That said, my strongest impression of them is just how good all the songs I hear from them are, even though I barely listen to them.
I believe it was the correct time to listen with the proper attention to an entire album. It made me want to go back and check out a few tracks from their first albums as well. My conclusion is that “Domination” sounds incredible, just for the reason that Primal Fear sounds like a free band, without needing to fit in any mandatory pattern. Confusing what I am saying, right?
Let me try to explain. The early days of the band were marked with a music holding too much influence of Judas Priest and other great bands. They probably left it behind many years ago, but I haven’t (yet) heard the entire discography. On this new offering, they navigate a perfect balance of a great Classic Heavy Metal band, but with strong influences from Power Metal, mainly through the double kicks in the songs.
The songs sound powerful with the new line-up, which is another interesting detail. They sound like they’ve had a stable line-up for years. My huge congratulations to the amazing guitarists Magnus Karlsson and Thalìa Bellazecca for the incredible guitar work. Riffs and solos are very well composed and played, showing technique without being tiring or exacerbated.
I loved songs such as ‘I Am The Primal Fear’ and especially ‘Tears of Fire’ (my favourite one). These made me think about how Primal Fear carries the flag of the German Traditional Heavy Metal, even though they popped up a decade later than bands like Accept and others.
For sure, “Domination” shows an experienced band who don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Here, you are going to get a masterclass of songs made to sing along with and bang your head to, full of remarkable vocal lines, melodies, and riffs.
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Hunter
02. Destroyer
03. Far Away
04. I Am The Primal Fear
05. Tears of Fire
06. Heroes and Gods
07. Hallucinations
08. Eden
09. Scream
10. The Dead Don’t Die
11. Crossfire
12. March Boy March
13. A Tune I Won’t Forget
LINE-UP:
Ralf Scheepers – Vocals
Mat Sinner – Bass, vocals
Magnus Karlsson – Guitars
Thalìa Bellazecca – Guitars
André Hilgers – Drums
LINKS:
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