PRIMAL FEAR – Code Red

Primal Fear - Code Red album cover
  • 8.6/10
    PRIMAL FEAR - Code Red - 8.6/10
8.6/10

Summary

Label: Atomic Fire Records
Release date: September 1, 2023

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6.5/10 (1 vote)

Following up to 2020’s smash album Metal Commando, Primal Fear are hitting even higher highs with their 13th studio album Primal Fear – Code Red. The Primal Fear crew are headed up by screaming front man Ralf Scheepers, with the considerable talents of bassist/singer Mat Sinner, the triple guitar phalanx of Tom Naumann, Alex Beyrodt and Magnus Karlsson, and precision drummer Michael Ehré.

Fighting Back To Life

Code Red is at it’s core the reawakening for bassist Mat Sinner in the role of producer. Sinner had fought his way back from a serious illness, and tells us about it:

“After my illness, this album was my musical way back to normality,” says Sinner. “Code Red was the first production I was able to participate in again. To me, it was a formative experience. I was overjoyed to be able to be creative with the guys in the studio again. It meant the world to me to make that album.”

Final Notes

Primal Fear – Code Red is an amazing, headbanging listening experience that has to be heard. Ralf Scheepers is at his peak in vocal melodies as well as performance. It’s easy to see why he’s the hot ticket in the Heavy Metal scene as a guest artist for bands like Michael Schenker Group and Immortal Guardian, to name a small few.

The production of Code Red is phenomenal, with as near a perfect mix as can be found. The guitar work rips and tears, while also crying with deep emotion from the harmony leads to the superb solos. The singles “Deep In The Night” and “Another Hero” are definitely the earworms, showing us why they were the first to be released.

The bottom line is, Primal Fear are a band more than 25 years into their career, and making the best music of their lives. Code Red is proof, so add this treasure to your music collection today!

primal Fear band members standing before a wall of flames.
Photo: Alex Kuehr.

Primal Fear Lineup

  • Ralf Scheepers – vocals
  • Mat Sinner – bass, vocals
  • Tom Naumann – guitars
  • Alexander Beyrodt – guitars
  • Magnus Karlsson – guitars
  • Michael Ehré – drums

Code Red – Tracklist

  1. Another Hero
  2. Bring That Noise
  3. Deep In The Night
  4. Cancel Culture
  5. Play A Song
  6. The World Is On Fire
  7. Their Gods Have Failed
  8. Steelmelter
  9. Raged By Pain
  10. Forever
  11. Fearless

Author

  • Bryce Van Patten

    Bryce is an audio engineer and a graphic designer here at Metal Express Radio. From the day he purchased his first album (Machine Head by Deep Purple), he has had a passion for heavy music, which has influenced his whole life. Bryce is from the great Pacific Northwest in USA, and has played in metal bands like Babylon, Holy Terror, The Wild Dogs, Warhead and Egypt through the 80s. He had his first interview for the Portland, Oregon publication The Rock Rag with guitarist Paul Gilbert in his Racer X days. Then he was honored to get to have drinks, and talk for an hour with the legendary Dan McCafferty of Nazareth for his second interview. In 2013, he spent an amazing hour talking to Andi Deris of Helloween, which was the high point of his heavy metal journalism.   In the year 2001, he formed Man in Black Music Publishing. They released recordings by several local bands, and in the spirit of the old Metal Massacre compilations, he created a 2-album series called The Defenders of Metal. The albums featured classic styled Metal bands from all around the world, with bands from Australia to England, and from Argentina to Russia. Currently, he is the producer/creator/vocalist of the Metal band The Black Tuesdays.

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