Primal Fear
Live in the U.S.A.

August 2010
Released: 2010, Frontiers Records
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Waspman

It’s hard to believe that Primal Fear has been around for over a decade now and have never released a live album. I mean, they’ve put out 8 studio albums – many bands seem to put out a live album after 3 or 4 studio releases. Needless to say, this is long overdue for these Germans.

LIVE IN THE USA was recorded over three dates on the U.S. tour from 2009, namely Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles; so if you’re one of those, like me, who prefer a full live show, you may be disappointed. What you won’t be disappointed in are the absolutely ripping performances of the band! As you’d expect, Scheepers shines like the god he is, completely owning the stage and delivering scream after scream without fail. The rest of the band is similarly on fire – no complaints there.

As for the track list, it understandably focuses on their latest album, 16.6, with five songs. Fortunately there are arguably the best five songs from the album, with “Killbound” in particular sounding particularly vicious in the live setting. They cover their back catalogue quite well, busting out older classics like “Battalions of Hate” and “Final Embrace”, but BLACK SUN AND SEVEN SEALS are inexplicably ignored. This is particularly egregious given that the lacklustre NEW RELIGION gets two songs played, one being the interminable “Fighting the Darkness” which lasts for an agonizing nine minutes. Still, that’s a relatively minor quibble when rippers like “Nuclear Fire” and “Chainbreaker” (!!!) are there.

Basically LIVE IN THE USA is exactly what you’d both expect, and hope for out of a Primal Fear live album. The band flawlessly blasts out the pure metal goodness that they’re known for and simply don’t disappoint. Damn it all, this album makes me kick myself for missing the Toronto stop on their tour ‘cause it must have been a hell of a show (right Evil G?).