This page is about the Power Metal band. For the film starring Richard Gere and Edward Norton, click here. For the trope, click here.
Primal Fear is a Power Metal band that has its origins at half of The '90s.
Ralf Scheepers sang in different bands before landing the lead vocalist role in Gamma Ray, with whom he recorded three albums before a series of events led him to leave it. (Contrary to popular belief, he NEVER auditioned for Judas Priest) Thus his next step in music would be the formation of Primal Fear, alongside members of Sinner.
Discography as of 2020
Studio albums
- 1998: Primal Fear
- 1999: Jaws of Death
- 2001: Nuclear Fire
- 2002: Black Sun
- 2004: Devil's Ground
- 2005: Seven Seals
- 2007: New Religion
- 2009: 16:6 (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)
- 2012: Unbreakable
- 2014: Delivering The Black
- 2016: Rulebreaker
- 2020: Metal Commando
- 2023: Code Red
Live albums and compilations
- 2006: Metal is Forever - The Very Best of Primal Fear
- 2010: Live in the USA
- 2017: Angels of Mercy: Live in Germany
- 2017: Best of Fear
Band members
Current members
- Ralf Scheepers – lead vocals (1997–present)
- Mat Sinner – bass guitar, vocals (1997–present)
- Tom Naumann – guitars (1997–2000, 2003–2007, 2015-present), live guitars (2013-2015)
- Alex Beyrodt – guitars (2009–present), live guitars (2007–2009)
- Magnus Karlsson – guitars (2008–present)
- Michael Ehré - drums (2019-present)
Former members
- Klaus Sperling – drums (1997–2003)
- Stefan Leibing – guitars, keyboards (1998–2007)
- Hendrik "Henny" Wolter – guitars (2000–2002, 2007–2010)
- Randy Black – drums (2003–2014)
- Constantine - live guitars (2012-2013)
- Aquiles Priester – drums (2014–2015)
- Francesco Jovino – drums (2015–2019)
This band provides examples of:
- After the End: "Nation In Fear"
- Author Appeal: "Formula One" is about the eponymous sport.
- Break-Up Song: "Iron Fist In A Velvet Glove":We better separate ways or hate is getting stronger.
Last chapter in the act, two more broken hearts.
(...)
My dedication to the past, I'm gonna draw the line.
You hit me with an iron fist in a velvet glove. - Careful with That Axe: Ralf is capable of keeping a high note for a long time. Take, for example, the chorus of "Iron Fist In A Velvet Glove", where he keeps a high note during the chorus while his bandmates sing it.
- Civil War: "Battalions of Hate"
- Concept Album:
- Black Sun is about a space exploration mission.
- Of sorts with Seven Seals, as it's about the battle between heaven and hell.
- Corrupt Church: "Church Of Blood"
- Cover Version: They've covered many songs for tributes and whatever:
- Primal Fear has "Speed King" and the 2010 remaster bonus track "Breaker", the latter of which also appeared in A Tribute to Accept.
- Jaws of Death has "Kill The King" as a bonus track in both the limited edition and the 2010 remaster.
- Nuclear Fire has Gary Moore/Phil Lynott's "Out In The Fields", also present in Emerald: A Tribute to the Wild One (Tribute to Thin Lizzy), in the Japanese version and the 2010 remastered edition.
- Devil's Ground has in many of its editions "Die Young", also featured in Evil Lives: A True Metal Tribute to Black Sabbath. The Japanese edition also includes "The Rover", which was previously released as part of the tribute album The Music Remains The Same (A Metal Tribute To Led Zeppelin).
- Seven Seals has a downplayed example in Sinner's "A Question of Honour". The downplayed part comes in that, well, more than 50% of the band members back then came from Sinner.
- The tribute album A Tribute To The Priest featured a version of "Metal Gods".
- The tribute album The Four Horsemen: A Tribute to Metallica featured a version of "Seek and Destroy".
- The tribute album A Tribute To The Beast Vol. 2 featured a version of "2 Minutes To Midnight".
- Grief Song: One of the interpretations of "In Memory", about Ralf Scheepers's sister.
- Heavy Meta:
- "Metal Is Forever":
Faster beats are pounding
While the fans are shouting
Metal is forever
In every single matter
Metal is forever
Nations come together- "Living for Metal" is about the whole cycle of a metalhead: you start listening to a band, then get your friends onto the genre, then you form a band.
- Horsemen of the Apocalypse: "Seven Seals".
- Large Ham: Ralf Scheepers.
- Last Stand: "Final Embrace"I will fight my own fight
I will break through their lines
Take the last chance to survive - Multinational Team: In the current formation, Germans Ralf Scheepers, Mat Sinner (real name: Matthias Lasch), Tom Naumann, and Alex Beyordt share the band with Swedish Magnus Karlsson and Italian Francesco Jovino. Past members also included Canadian Randy Black and South African Aquiles Priester.
- Power Metal
- Precision F-Strike: "Cry Havoc". It's kind of surprising the first time, actually.
- Rebel Leader: "Chainbreaker"
- Regional Bonus:
- The Japanese edition of Jaws of Death has "Horrorscope", later included in the 2010 remastered version of the album.
- The Japanese edition of Nuclear Fire has "Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove" and a Cover Version of Gary Moore/Phil Lynott's "Out in the Fields".
- The Japanese edition of Devil's Ground has "The Rover", which was previously released as part of the tribute album The Music Remains The Same - A Metal Tribute to Led Zeppelin.
- The Japanese version of Seven Seals has "The Union".
- The Japanese version of New Religion has an orchestral version of "Fighting the Darkness".
- The Japanese version of 16.6 (Before the Devil Knows...) has a remix of "No Smoke Without Fire".
- The Japanese version of Unbreakable has "Night of the Jumps" and an acoustic version of "Born Again".
- The Japanese version of Delivering the Black has "Innocent Man", "Man Without a Shadow", the single edit of "When Death Comes Knocking", and an edited version of "Born with a Broken Heart".
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: "Hatred In My Soul"
- Screw Destiny: "Visions of Fate", from Devil's Ground.
- Spell My Name With An S: It's Ralf Scheepers or Ralf Scheppers?
- Start My Own: After leaving Gamma Ray, Scheepers started Primal Fear.
