Some Accept, some Helloween, and a lot of unique personality, and there you have the power metal-ish band, Primal Fear and their new release Delivering the Black.

The combination of the powerful, crunching classic metal riffs and the strength of Ralf Scheepers’ vocals make the band a force. In fact, songs like “Rebel Faction,” “Road to Asylum,” and the title song are good representations of this— driven with intensity and full-force guitar. “Rebel Faction” may be the best on the album and the only thing that keeps the song from getting a perfect score is the Manowar-ish Oh-Oh-Ohohhs that unnecessarily pop up. A small blemish that tilts the balance briefly from ass-kicking to overdone macho energy.

“Alive & On Fire” and  “Inseminoid,”  deserve a mention, too. “Alive & On Fire” for its classic Accept guitar chug and group chorus, and “Inseminoid” for its caffeinated and melodic Helloweenish overdrive. Like all of the songs mentioned above, the guitar sound of Alex Beyrodt is so hard to resist. And it also helps that Primal Fear’s lyrics are bit provocative, rather than the forced barbaric nihilism that ruins some metal bands.

It is the classic metal songs that make Delivering the Black worth its price tag. These numbers are better than the band’s orchestrated and complex epics  like “When Death Comes Knocking” and the 10-minute “One Night in December.”  Even so, it all comes down to a great metal release.

Label: Frontiers Records