Primal Fear was founded in October 1997 by singer Ralf Scheepers and Mat Sinner. Scheepers and Sinner have been constants in the heavy metal scene before the band was founded. Ralf Scheepers sang in the bands Tyran Pace, F.B.I. and the internationally successful band Gamma Ray. After a gig with his Judas Priest cover band Just Priest in which Mat Sinner and Tom Naumann helped out the idea arose to found Primal Fear. They signed a record deal with Nuclear Blast Records in late 1997. Their debut album Primal Fear was released in February 1998 and entered the German LP charts at place 48 thus making it one of the highest chart entries of a debut album in German metal. The same year they toured with metal veterans Running Wild and HammerFall.
In July 1999, the 2nd album Jaws of Death was released. Shortly after its release guitarist Tom Naumann left the band due to health problems. During the tour through Europe, Brazil and Japan he was replaced by Alex Beyrodt. In January 2000, Henny Wolter joined the band as a permanent replacement. In early 2001, the third album Nuclear Fire was released. At the following world tour the band played in the US for the first time and were guests at the Metal Meltdown Festival and the Milwaukee Metalfest.
The next album Black Sun was released on 29 April 2002 and entered the German LP charts at place 55, being ranked by Loudwire as the 19th best power metal album of all time.[1]Halford-Guitarist Mike Chlasciak contributed the guitar solos for the songs "Fear" and "Armageddon". The highlight of the following double-headliner tour with fellow band Rage was a gig at the Scala in London. The same year Henny Wolter left the band and was replaced by the returning Tom Naumann. With this line-up the band again toured through Brazil and ended the Black Sun tour. In April–May 2003, the band participated in the "Metal Gods" tour together with Rob Halford, Testament and a few other bands and toured through the US and Canada. During the Tour drummer Klaus Sperling was replaced by Randy Black. After the tour, Randy joined the band permanently.
In February 2004, the 5th album Devil's Ground was released and entered the German LP charts at place 67. April of the same year the band started another world tour in which the band toured through Europe, Japan, the US and South America including one of the band's biggest hits "Metal Is Forever". Directly after the tour the band recorded their 6th album Seven Seals in Vancouver and Stuttgart. It was released in Fall of 2005 mixed by Mike Frazer in Vancouver. To promote the album the band went on Europe and Japan tour together with fellow Power Metal band Helloween.
In July 2006, the band surprisingly left Nuclear Blast Records and signed a long-term contract with Frontiers Records. As a "parting gift" Nuclear Blast released the best of compilation Metal is Forever.
Primal Fear in 2007
In February 2007, during the recordings for the next album New Religion the band decided after long discussions about the future of the band that Henny Wolter would return as 2nd guitarist and Tom Naumann would leave the band. The album was finished under the direction of producer Mat Sinner and engineer and co-producer Charlie Bauerfeind and was mixed by Roland Prent in the Galaxy Studios in Belgium. It was released in September 2007 and entered the German LP charts at place 60. They started their New Religion tour as co-headliner of the sold out ProgPower USA (PPUSA) VIII festival in Atlanta, US. Afterwards they toured together with U.D.O. through Europe. They continued the tour in January 2008 due to the band's 10th birthday and once again toured through Europe.
Early March 2008, the band announced that longtime guitarist Stefan Leibing had left the band because he wanted to spend more time with his family and his business. On future releases and tours he would be replaced by Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson, who already contributed 2 guitar solos for the New Religion album. In December 2008 the band entered the House of Music Studios to record their next album 16.6. They said that "the music includes a lot of the vibe of our very first albums" and that "a new Primal Fear album always contained some new musical challenges, real surprises". The Album was released on 22 May in Europe and 9 June in the US. The Video for the song Six Time Dead (16.6) has premiered on 8 May on the band's official MySpace channel. The Album reached No.46 on the German, No.52 in Swedish and No.28 in the Japanese album charts. The band started their longest tour ever in South America, North America, Canada, Europe and Japan to promote their new album. A new live CD and DVD was recorded during every leg on the tour. In 2010 the band spent their longest time on the road in North America tour, followed by another European Tour in September–November 2010.[2]
On 8 July 2011, the band announced their next album Unbreakable. The album was released on 20 January 2012. The band toured extensively throughout 2012 in support of the album on the "Metal Nation" tour, of which the European leg included dates in Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia among others. The band also played several more shows in 2013.[3]
On 20 May 2013, it was announced on the band's official website that they would begin recording their next album the following day.[4] On 4 October, Primal Fear announced their new album Delivering the Black. It was released on 24 January 2014 by Frontiers Records.
Primal Fear at Rockharz Open Air 2018
On 11 August 2014, drummer Randy Black parted ways with the band due to "irreconcilable differences" between him and Ralf Scheepers. His last appearance was at the Summer Breeze festival in Germany. His departure became effective on 16 August. On 13 June 2015, the band announced that former U.D.O. drummer Francesco Jovino would replace him along with returning guitarist Tom Naumann.
On 22 January 2016, the band released their eleventh studio album Rulebreaker.[5]
In November 2017, Primal Fear entered the studio to begin work on their twelfth album Apocalypse, which was released 10 August 2018.[6]
On 3 April 2020, Primal Fear announced the title of their thirteenth studio album Metal Commando, along with a release date of 17 July 2020.[7] A single titled "Along Came the Devil", in support of the upcoming album was released on 15 May 2020.[8] On 9 April 2021, Primal Fear released an EP titled I Will Be Gone, featuring Tarja Turunen.
Primal Fear had their highest success, and most chart entries with their 2012 release, Unbreakable. The album landed on 20 January 2012 with chart entries in Germany (No.31), Sweden (No.48), Finland (No.50), Japan (No.27), Austria (No.74), Switzerland (No.51) and the Netherlands (Top 200), and for the first time in the band's history, they showed up on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart, landing at No.44.
Black Sun is the fourth studio release and first concept album by German power metal band Primal Fear.
Sin After Sin is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 8 April 1977 by Columbia Records. Produced by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, it was the band's major label debut, their first album for the label, and their only album to feature drummer Simon Phillips, a studio musician who replaced original drummer Alan Moore for the recording sessions.
Sinner is a German heavy metal band formed by vocalist and bassist Mat Sinner in 1982. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene. Their latest album, Brotherhood, was released on 15 July 2022.
Ralf Scheepers is a German singer, the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Primal Fear. He has also sung in Gamma Ray and Tyran' Pace. Scheepers has also provided guest vocals for the bands Avantasia, Xandria, Scanner, Therion, Ayreon and Shadow Gallery, and worked with Tom Galley on Phenomena's Blind Faith album. He currently provides instruction for all around singing, music, studio and recording/processing techniques at the RS Vocal Works in Baltmannsweiler, Germany. Writer Paul Stenning has described him as "the greatest example of strength in metal."
Seven Seals is the sixth album by the German power metal band Primal Fear, released on 15 October 2005. It is the first album with artwork which does not contain a scene depicting their bird-of-prey mascot, but instead a logo based upon it. It is also the first album recorded in Standard D Tuning.
Primal Fear is the debut studio album by the German power metal band Primal Fear, released in 1998. The album was re-issued in 2005 by Nuclear Blast in a multibox containing the 1999 album Jaws of Death.
Devil's Ground is the fifth album by German power metal band Primal Fear. It was released on 23 February 2004.
Silent Force is a German power metal band with neoclassical and progressive influences, founded by guitarist Alex Beyrodt.
Metal Is Forever – The Very Best of Primal Fear, is the first best-of album released by the German power metal group Primal Fear.
New Religion is Primal Fear's seventh full-length album, released on 21 September 2007.
Nuclear Fire is the third album by the German heavy metal band Primal Fear. It was released in 2001.
Jaws of Death is the second album by the German heavy metal band Primal Fear, released in 1999. The album was re-issued in 2005 by Nuclear Blast in a multibox containing the 1998 album Primal Fear.
16.6 is the eighth studio album by the German heavy metal band Primal Fear. It is the first album by the band not featuring long-time guitarist Stefan Leibing and the first album featuring new guitarist Magnus Karlsson, and the final album with guitarist Henny Wolter. The band says of the album that it "includes a lot of the vibe of our very first albums" and also "a lot of fresh and new elements".
Matthias Lasch, known professionally as Mat Sinner, is a German bassist, singer and record producer from Stuttgart.
Scheepers is the debut solo album from Ralf Scheepers, lead vocalist of the German heavy metal band Primal Fear.
Unbreakable is the ninth studio album by the German heavy metal band Primal Fear, and the first album with guitarist Alex Beyrodt. The album was released on 20 January 2012 in Europe, and 24 January in North America. Recording began at House of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany on 10 July 2011.
Delivering the Black is the tenth studio album from German heavy metal band Primal Fear, which was released on 24 January 2014 via Frontiers Records.
Rulebreaker is the eleventh studio album from the German heavy metal band Primal Fear. The album was released on January 22, 2016. It is the first album to have Francesco Jovino on drums. It also marks the return of original guitarist, Tom Naumann, for his third stint with the band, making it the band’s first album with three guitar players.
Apocalypse is the twelfth studio album by German heavy metal band Primal Fear. The album was released on 10 August 2018 via Frontiers Records. It is also the second and last album with drummer Francesco Jovino.
Metal Commando is the thirteenth studio album by German heavy metal band Primal Fear. The album was released on 24 July 2020 via Nuclear Blast. It is also the first album with drummer Michael Ehré.
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