Discover Top Posts Tagged with #tom naumann

Monday, January 17: Primal Fear, “Sacred Illusion”

Mat Sinner ludicrously claimed that every song on Devil’s Ground was written as intended anthems for Primal Fear’s live shows. But while the record ultimately wasn’t a dramatic improvement over the somewhat rote Black Sun, it did have a little more spark to it, especially with founding guitarist Tom Naumann back on board, and numbers like “Sacred Illusion” did their best to live up to Sinner’s mission. Naumann’s riffing propelled the first two Primal Fear albums to near greatness, and bringing him back not only as a guitarist but also as a writer gave Devil’s Ground some much-needed heft, while Ralf Scheepers’s wailing was much fierier than we’d heard in a while. The chorus wasn’t as sticky as one would hope for a supposed anthem, but the chugging riff alongside Randy Black’s propulsive drumming made it an entertaining headbanger that illustrated Primal Fear still had some fire in them, even if their subsequent albums would remain fairly inconsistent for another decade or so.

Friday, July 31: Primal Fear, “Blood on Your Hands”

Tom Naumann was out of Primal Fear again by the time the group recorded New Religion, but the former and present guitarist was heavily involved with the writing of their seventh full-length, and his touch was all over tracks like “Blood on Your Hands” with its chunky and charging riff and thick power chords. The tune was more insistent and packed a greater punch than the last few Primal Fear records, aided in no small part by Charlie Bauerfeind’s mix. But more than that, the whole band sounded focused and purposeful, especially Ralf Scheepers- his growling was well-placed and a thankful reprieve from his sometimes hectoring wailing. “Blood on Your Hands” also had some of Randy Black’s fiercest drumming, and on the whole the tune felt less overtly power metal, and less clichéd, than a lot of what Primal Fear had become known for. It fit well within the underrated New Religion and showed that the band still had some life in them.

Friday, July 6: Primal Fear, “Raving Mad”

Rulebreaker featured the return of founding guitarist Tom Naumann after a lengthy absence, but his presence as a writer was only felt on the concluding “Raving Mad”, which unsurprisingly recalled Primal Fear’s first two albums. In that respect, the song was a bit of an outlier on an otherwise more sophisticated (by Primal Fear standards, anyway) record, but it still worked within the context of the album and closed Rulebreaker in frenetic style. And although Naumann’s riffing was distinctly different from that of primary composer Magnus Karlsson, “Raving Mad” had the same sense of focus and purpose that made the album one of Primal Fear’s best records, and a surprising victory from a band that, only two albums earlier, had been stuck in a rut. Ralf Scheepers in particular sounded far less adrift and more in control, while ex-U.D.O. skinsman Francesco Jovino stayed in pocket even as he was firing off a double-kick barrage. The track was a succinct wind-up that spoke to all of Primal Fear’s strengths while also showing that the band had learned to harness its skills in a way that, while remaining firmly rooted in traditional metal, didn’t come across as boring or stale.

Thursday, January 11: Primal Fear, “Church of Blood”

“Church of Blood” was basically a gussied up Sinner tune- between Tom Naumann’s chunky riff, Mat Sinner’s simplistic bass runs on the verses, and clunky lyrics (“There’s no democracy in the Church of Blood!”), the song would’ve fit naturally on The Nature of Evil or The End of Sanctuary. What made it transcend such an inglorious tag were the two Primal Fear members who had no prior relationship to Sinner: Kevin Smith lookalike Klaus Sperling (who, uh, later would play in Sinner) pounded his drums with remarkable intensity- and indeed, it was his eventual departure that hit Primal Fear harder than even the loss of Naumann after Jaws of Death- while Ralf Scheepers delivered the most aggressive and spirited singing of his entire Primal Fear discography (only his vocals on Gamma Ray’s Sigh No More and Insanity and Genius were better). With Scheepers and Sperling on board, “Church of Blood” became a true kickass power metal stomper, elevating Naumann’s riffing to something meaner and relentless and making the bass-driven verses feel less slack and more ominous. It was songs like this that made Jaws of Death feel stronger than it actually was, since the reality was that Primal Fear’s second album already felt old hat only a year after their surprisingly fun debut. But “Church of Blood” instead felt like the work of seasoned pros who were committed to delivering violent heavy metal that took no prisoners.

Tuesday, July 25: Primal Fear, “Rollercoaster”

Primal Fear had long since run out of surprises by the time they put out Seven Seals, though the record showcased a slightly more grandiose sound with its longer tunes, more bombastic arrangements and an inflated sense of drama. “Rollercoaster” was something of an exception, but just barely: it didn’t feel quite as affected, and Tom Naumann delivered his trademark power metal crunch on guitar, but there was still a sense that Primal Fear was trying to up the ante in production and performance if not in hysteria (which was usually what they resorted to), as it had a more balanced and polished recording. And Ralf Scheepers actually restrained himself a bit, both in his singing (which was not overly shrill) and his lyrics (which surprisingly had nothing to do with going to a metal concert). Nonetheless, “Rollercoaster” was still intrinsically Primal Fear, with charging drums from Randy Black, fundamentally metallic riffing and Scheepers’ committed vocals, and even if the song didn’t really change things up all that much, it still found the band doing what they do best.

Il nuovo album della band tedesca rinverdisce i fasti del genere iniziato dagli Helloween con uno sguardo particolare agli insegnamenti dei Judas Priest Non caschiamo nel tranello dei paragoni facili, a causa del quale l’ombra ingombrantissima degli Helloween incombe su qualsiasi cosa facciano i Primal Fear e persino su ogni singolo starnuto del loro front...

#tom naumann

Hayley Leggs – Primal Fear interview at Hellfest 2018 Tom Naumann and Mat Sinner of Primal Fear chatted with us at Hellfest 2018 about their new album 'Apocalypse', Brexit, and getting injured onstage.

#Mat Sinner #Primal Fear #Tom Naumann

The Age Of Metal – Interview with Tom Naumann of Primal Fear (Mesa, AZ 05/15/16) Talked with guitar player Tom Naumann of Primal Fear. We discussed the tour, Rulebreaker, their new drummer and what is Primal Fear up to for the rest of the year.

#Primal Fear #Tom Naumann

#tom naumann

Trending Tags

Recently Viewed Tags

#tom naumann