New Religion

New Religion is an ambitious seventh album on which Primal Fear pulls together hard, powerful riffs, precise rhythm and Ralf Scheepers’s high vocals in a large, grand scale. This work, which became the band’s first full-fledged concept album, values its narrative more. While firmly keeping aggression, the songs have memorable melody and big choruses carefully placed. A record where the band’s musical deepening can be felt. From the aggression of the opener “Sign of Fear” and the drama of the dignified title track “New Religion” to the moving ballad “Everytime It Rains,” every song is engaging, and from the drama of “Face the Emptiness” to the grand expanse of “Fighting the Darkness,” the album beautifully unites weight and deep drama. Simone Simons also participates as a guest vocalist. A record that powerfully resounded traditional metal’s sure vocabulary with a grander, more modern sound pressure. Not merely aggression, it gained deep narrative and rich lyricism particular to a concept work. An ambitious, engaging, fulfilling work that greatly widened Primal Fear’s expression — a record where the band’s new challenge shines.