Primal Fear is a German power metal band formed in 1997 by Ralf Scheepers (vocals, formerly of Gamma Ray) and Mat Sinner (bass and vocals, also of Sinner). The band was formed following Scheepers' unsuccessful audition to replace Rob Halford in Judas Priest.
Primal Fear was founded in October 1997, with Scheepers and Sinner as the primary members. Prior to the formation of the band, Scheepers had performed with Tyran Pace, F.B.I., and Gamma Ray.
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Primal Fear is a German power metal band formed in 1997 by Ralf Scheepers (vocals, formerly of Gamma Ray) and Mat Sinner (bass and vocals, also of Sinner). The band was formed following Scheepers' unsuccessful audition to replace Rob Halford in Judas Priest.
Primal Fear was founded in October 1997, with Scheepers and Sinner as the primary members. Prior to the formation of the band, Scheepers had performed with Tyran Pace, F.B.I., and Gamma Ray. The idea for Primal Fear arose after a performance with Scheepers’ Judas Priest cover band Just Priest, in which Sinner and Tom Naumann participated. The band signed with Nuclear Blast Records later that year. Their debut album "Primal Fear" was released in February 1998 and reached number 48 on the German album charts. In the same year, they toured with Running Wild and HammerFall.
In July 1999, Primal Fear released their second album "Jaws of Death". Shortly after, guitarist Tom Naumann left due to health issues and was temporarily replaced by Alex Beyrodt, with Henny Wolter joining permanently in January 2000. The third album, "Nuclear Fire", was released in early 2001. The following world tour included the band’s first performances in the United States and appearances at the Metal Meltdown Festival and Milwaukee Metalfest.
The fourth album, "Black Sun", was released on 29 April 2002 and reached number 55 on the German album charts. Guitarist Mike Chlasciak contributed solos for the songs "Fear" and "Armageddon". During the tour, Henny Wolter left and Tom Naumann returned. The band toured Brazil and participated in the "Metal Gods" tour with Rob Halford and Testament in the US and Canada, during which drummer Klaus Sperling was replaced by Randy Black, who became a permanent member.
In February 2004, the band released "Devil's Ground", which reached number 67 on the German album charts. A world tour followed, promoting songs including "Metal Is Forever". The band recorded their sixth album, "Seven Seals", in Vancouver and Stuttgart, releasing it in 2005. Tours in Europe and Japan followed, including performances with Helloween.
In 2006, Primal Fear left Nuclear Blast Records and signed with Frontiers Records. Nuclear Blast released the compilation "Metal is Forever" that year. The band performed at Wacken Open Air in August 2006. In 2007, during the recording of "New Religion", Henny Wolter returned as second guitarist and Tom Naumann departed. The album was released in September 2007, reaching number 60 on the German album charts. The band toured Europe and the US, including co-headlining ProgPower USA VIII and touring with U.D.O.
In 2008, guitarist Stefan Leibing left the band and was replaced by Magnus Karlsson, who had contributed solos to "New Religion". The album "16.6" was released in May 2009 in Europe and June in the US. The song "Six Time Dead" was released with a video on MySpace. The album reached number 46 in Germany, number 52 in Sweden, and number 28 in Japan. The band embarked on an extensive tour through South America, North America, Europe, and Japan, recording live material throughout.
On 20 January 2012, the band released "Unbreakable", followed by the "Metal Nation" tour, which included performances across Europe and South America. Their next album, "Delivering the Black", was released on 24 January 2014.
On 11 August 2014, drummer Randy Black departed, and former U.D.O. drummer Francesco Jovino joined the band along with the returning guitarist Tom Naumann. Primal Fear released "Rulebreaker" on 22 January 2016, followed by the album "Apocalypse" on 10 August 2018.
The band announced their thirteenth studio album "Metal Commando" on 3 April 2020, with a release date of 17 July 2020, and released the single "Along Came the Devil" on 15 May 2020. On 9 April 2021, the band released the EP "I Will Be Gone", featuring Tarja Turunen.
On 23 August 2024, the band announced the departures of guitarists Alex Beyrodt and Tom Naumann, drummer Michael Ehré, and touring bassist Alex Jansen. On 28 August, Thalìa Bellazecca was announced as the new guitarist, and on 31 August, André Hilgers was announced as the new drummer.
Studio albums
Primal Fear (1998)
Jaws of Death (1999)
Nuclear Fire (2001)
Black Sun (2002)
Devil's Ground (2004)
Seven Seals (2005)
New Religion (2007)
16.6 (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) (2009)
Unbreakable (2012)
Delivering the Black (2014)
Rulebreaker (2016)
Apocalypse (2018)
Metal Commando (2020)
Code Red (2023)
Domination (2025)
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…shrink me down again