Delivering the Black

Delivering the Black is a fulfilling work on which Primal Fear beautifully unites sharp twin guitars, powerful high vocals and heavy, powerful rhythm. It pushes the momentum of the previous Unbreakable further. The songs, while keeping speed as a strong weapon, raise big melody in the choruses, delivering the pure pleasure particular to traditional metal straight and powerfully to the listener. A record where the band’s mature ability shines. From the powerful drive of the opener “King for a Day” and the aggression of “Rebel Faction” to the dramatic epic “When Death Comes Knocking,” every song is engaging, while the title track “Delivering the Black” and a cut like “Alive & On Fire” convey the work’s fullness. Ralf Scheepers’s overwhelming highs are powerfully in sharp form throughout. A record on which the deft placement of weighty passages, like the title track, and songs that foreground a sense of speed powerfully pulls the album to the end. It splendidly answers listeners seeking a metal that is tough yet surely melodic. An engaging power-metal work that again powerfully showed Primal Fear’s unshakable appeal — a record where the band’s steady strength shines.