Album Review: PRIMAL FEAR - Metal Commando

01. I Am Alive
02. Along Came The Devil
03. Halo
04. Hear Me Calling
05. The Lost & The Forgotten
06. My Name Is Fear
07. I Will Be Gone
08. Raise Your Fists
09. Howl Of The Banshee
10. Afterlife
11. Infinity

Germany's answer to Judas Priest keep churning out these records like the prolific Metal champions they are. Fortunately, they tend to be fairly consistent in their high-quality Heavy Metal outings, despite often being quite predictable. I think that's part of their charm though. Their fan-base knows what they want, and that's a blend of traditional Metal and Power Metal, along with ludicrous lyrics, leather jackets, and amps cranked up to eleven! That is, once again, what we get. If that's not your cup of tea, what the fuck did you expect from an album called Metal Commando?

Opener I Am Alive starts off like the usual Metal affair, but has a huge life-affirming chorus which is a welcome change from the norm. It's followed by Along Came The Devil which sounds like the Accept/Judas Priest hybrid we've come to expect from Primal Fear. I really like it, and it's just what I wanted to hear. Halo is a cool song too, but veers more into Power Metal territory with its furious double-kick drums and soaring chorus.

Hear Me Calling takes proceedings back to that mid-paced stomping Traditional Metal sound that I personally prefer. It has clean-tone verses and a superb powerful chorus that could shake mountains.

Their previous album, 2018's Apocalypse, was a solid release (read my review here), but I think Metal Commando is over all a stronger record.

Other highlights include  the nice n' heavy The Lost & The Forgotten, the rabble-rousing Raise Your Fists, and the epic Infinity which clocks in at over thirteen minutes.

Primal Fear do what they do and they do it well. If you liked them before, I have no doubt that you'll love Metal Commando. It's certainly one of their best releases and boasts plenty of Metal anthems for connoisseurs of the genre.