Code Red

Code Red is a fulfilling work on which Primal Fear lines up, without any compromise, its heavy, powerful tank-like riffs and Ralf Scheepers’s piercing highs. It is the band’s memorable fourteenth album. The songs never leave heavy metal’s basic form, yet by the deft push-and-pull of the rhythm and the sure layering of two guitars, they by no means end as mere nostalgia. A record where mature dignity shines. Even within a thick, weighty sound, its choruses are always clear, and the more aggressive the song, the more strongly its melody lingers. From the powerful drive of the opener “Another Hero” and the aggression of “Bring That Noise” to the drama of “Deep in the Night,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “The World Is on Fire” and “Play a Song” convey the work’s fullness. It very deftly uses the urgency of fast songs, the intimidation of mid-tempo and the deep drama shown in longer songs. A truly Primal Fear-like record that sounds at once firmly keeping tradition and still powerfully continuing to fight. It powerfully builds the whole album with tension, like a kind of emergency alarm. Even as veterans, its tough appeal has not dimmed in the least. A powerful, engaging, fulfilling work showing the band’s mature ability.