Domination

On their 15th album, German power metal vets Primal Fear hoist their chalices with a revamped lineup. *Domination* marks the studio debuts of new drummer André Hilgers (formerly of German metal mainstays Rage and Bonfire) and new guitarist Thalia Bellazecca, a 25-year-old Italian shredder known for her fleet-fingered online guitar covers. You can hear Primal Fear’s *Painkiller*-era Priest influence on opening track “The Hunter,” a battle-ready anthem that showcases their twin guitar assault and singer Ralf Scheepers’ impressive range in equal measure. On “Far Away,” Bellazecca and fellow ax-slinger Magnus Karlsson carve off a galloping backdrop for Scheepers’ Viking metal cadences before screaming into the moody instrumental “Hallucinations.” The soaring single “Tears of Fire” offers a tale of heroic glory, while Melissa Bonny of Swiss symphonic metallers Ad Infinitum makes a guest vocal appearance on the power ballad “Eden.”

Two years shy of their 30th anniversary, PRIMAL FEAR are still hammering away. The Germans have been among the most consistent and passionate advocates for pure heavy metal over the last three decades, and few would question founding members Mat Sinner (SINNER) and Ralf Scheepers's commitment to the...

A review of Domination by Primal Fear, available worldwide September 5th via Reigning Phoenix Music.