Just posted: Ralf Scheepers & Mark Fox on this weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 269 - Primal Shakra

We have two guests this week. First up Ralf Scheepers makes a return appearance on the show to promote the latest release from Primal Fear, "Rulebreaker". After that Mark Fox the vocalist from Shakra comes aboard to give us the details on his bands brand new one "High Noon". Find Primal Fear at http://www.primalfear.de/ and find Shakra on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ShakraBand/

Track of the week is the title track from Rhapsody of Fire's latest release "Into The Legend".

Get the this episode from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, or on iTunes.

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Visit http://focusonmetal.net/ for information on all the past episodes and to find the links to all our other social media sites.

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And as always Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

BLACKWELDER Announce New Album Title, Release Date

International power prog metal band BLACKWELDER have announced “Survival Of The Fittest” as the title of their upcoming debut album, due to be released on April 24, 2015 via German label GoldenCore Records/ZYX Music.

Hailing from the four corners of the world, BLACKWELDER is a brand new metal experience featuring some of the top names in Power Prog Metal today. Arguably the best singer in all of metal, Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR, ex-GAMMA RAY) fronts this extraordinary outfit at the top of his game, alongside guitar virtuoso Andrew Szus (SEVEN SERAPHIM). Bjorn Englen (DIO DISCIPLES, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and Aquiles Priester (PRIMAL FEAR, ex-ANGRA) round out this unstoppable team of what quite possibly could be one of the greatest lineups metal has ever seen.

The pre-mix of the song 'The Night Of New Moon' can be streamed here: https://soundcloud.com/blackwelder/blackwelder-the-night-of-new-moon

The new album was mixed by Matt Smith (THEOCRACY), mastered by Anfinn Skulevold (ABHOTH, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD) and Artwork by Mario Bouffier (IGGY POP, SACRED REICH).

BLACKWELDER is:

Ralf Scheepers – Vocals (PRIMAL FEAR, ex-GAMMA RAY)
Andrew Szucs – Guitars (SEVEN SERAPHIM)
Bjorn Englen – Bass (DIO DISCIPLES, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN)
Aquiles Priester – Drums (PRIMAL FEAR, ex-ANGRA)

BLACKWELDER is a winning formula of raw musical virtuosity that holds the listener’s ears right from the start. This act is surely not one to be missed and cannot be denied.

www.facebook.com/BlackwelderMetal

BLACKWELDER Featuring PRIMAL FEAR, DIO DISCIPLES, HANGAR Members, Signs With GoldenCore Records

International power prog metal band BLACKWELDER signs record deal with Germany’s GoldenCore Records/ZYX Music. BLACKWELDER is currently recording, mixing and mastering the yet untitled album for a release later this year. Hailing from the four corners of the world, BLACKWELDER is a brand new metal experience featuring some of the top names in Power Prog Metal today. Arguably the best singer in all of metal, Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, ex-Gamma Ray) fronts this extraordinary outfit at the top of his game, alongside guitar virtuoso Andrew Szus (Seven Seraphim), Bjorn Englen (Dio Disciples, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen) and Aquiles Priester (Hangar, ex-Angra) round out this unstoppable team of what quite possibly could be one of the greatest lineups metal has ever seen.

BLACKWELDER are:

Ralf Scheepers – Vocals (Primal Fear, ex-Gamma Ray)
Andrew Szucs – Guitar (Seven Seraphim)
Bjorn Englen – Bass (Dio Disciples, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen)
Aquiles Priester – Drums (Hangar, ex-Angra)

BLACKWELDER began as the long-awaited follow up to Seven Seraphim’s “Believe in Angels“. Bit by bit, as the songs materialized, it became evident to mainman Andrew Szucs that this music should carry the banner of a new musical entity, emerging from a richer, darker source – thus, BLACKWELDER was born.

Andrew began this musical journey alone, however, once he completed the framework for all of the songs, the band members began to fall into place like pieces of a puzzle.

Bjorn Englen was the first to climb aboard, expertly adding his bass lines to the songs. Bjorn would later go on tour with Tony MacAlpine alongside drummer Aquiles Priester, after which, it seemed only natural to keep this rhythm section in tact for BLACKWELDER.

Once Andrew’s guitars were recorded, it became evident that a true powerhouse vocalist was needed to carry these songs to completion. Not just any voice would do.BLACKWELDER would need the stratospheric vocal stylings characterized by the rich tradition of European heavy metal, and who better to do that than the voice of Primal Fear: Ralf Scheepers. Like a dragon with its fire, Ralf’s voice and lyrical themes are a natural fit to the songs of BLACKWELDER; blending and contrasting with the Marshall-based guitar tones in perfect harmony.

Topping off this powerful lineup is the unparalleled drumming of Aquiles Priester. Andrew and Aquiles agreed to finish the songs with Aquiles’ unique pyrotechnic display of progressive metal drumming techniques and what a display it is.

BLACKWELDER is a winning formula of raw musical virtuosity that holds the listener’s ears right from the start. This act is surely not one to be missed and cannot be denied!

www.facebook.com/BlackwelderMetal

Focus on Metal 164 with Ralf Scheepers and Alex Beyrodt is now available

We are on a roll so far this year, hot on the heels of last weeks giant size Michael Schenker episode we bring you more metal from Germany. This week we have Ralf Scheepers from Primal Fear and Alex Beyrodt from…well from lots of stuff including Primal Fear but this week he's on the show talking about Silent Force.

Our track of the week is from Holy Cross from their latest "Place Your Bets" on Pure Steel Records.

And as always Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

Grab it now from the Focus on Metal Site, The Cast Iron Ring or on iTunes

Review - Primal Fear "Delivering The Black" (Frontiers)

This January metal powerhouse Primal Fear is set to release their tenth studio album "Delivering The Black" on Frontiers. Primal Fear is among the bands that I will automatically purchase when new stuff comes out and even with a digital review copy from the label I will still be buying this one too. 

Produced once again by Matt Sinner with Achim Kohler running the faders and Jacob Hansen doing the mix work this release has a great studio pedigree behind it. The same lineup from last years "Unbreakable" release is back on board for this one and with the exception of the second guitar spot it's the same lineup that played on the superlative "16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)".

The disc consists of 10 tracks on the regular release or 13 on the deluxe edition. The deluxe edition also comes with a DVD with some music vids and the all important "making of" video.

Primal Fear is at their best when they put the essence of Judas Priest into the power metal format. The first track "King For A Day" delivers the goods on this. They chose wisely when the put this one upfront. This track could easily slide right onto Painkiller. Magnus Karlsson has got a crunchy tone on this that will make any Priest fan happy and Randy Black's insistent drumming hooks you right in. How much better can it get? Well as soon as Ralf Scheepers lets loose with the vocal you know this is gonna be a great Primal Fear disc and with track 1 clocking in at under four minutes it leaves you wanting more. And more you get…

Rebel Faction is up next. It starts with bait of deception as you get some cinematic orchestral stuff and then all hell brakes loose. This one is relentless. Even during the bridge where everything seems to slow down the drums never let up. The other bit of coolness on this one is that each part goes seamlessly into each other. There's none of the normal blocking and changes between riffs it just flows. Magnus also turns in a short but great solo on here too.

Track 3 is "When Death Comes Knocking". It starts with a quasi acoustic intro with this really well done delay/echo on there. It reminds me of something that would have been an intro on "Master of Puppets" that transitions to something that sounds very much like "Back For The Attack" era Dokken. The versres on this are classic Primal, very stripped down with a laid back drum groove and Ralf's vocal backed only by Matt Sinner's bass line. At around 3:50 there's this very middle eastern sounding acoustic part which builds into a very cinematic part which then transitions to a really nice duel guitar harmony section. At the tail end of that Magnus just rips. It's a excellent song but at 7 minutes I thought it was bit early to be injecting this one into the party. I would have really liked to have heard at least one more short powerful one before an epic.

If the guys in Primal were trying to capture the classic vibe of Accept they succeeded on "Alive And On Fire". A very simple drum and bass groove with some great riffing laid on top. If someone played this blindly for you I almost think you would guess it was Accept with Mark Storace from Krokus doing a vocal guest spot. This would have sounded great in the three spot and would have ramped the energy down just a notch for the seven minute epic. Any way you look at though this is some classic style metal being played by some modern metal masters.

Up next is the title track and again they have not disappointed. Straight ahead flawless metal. I also really like the vocals on this. Both the melody line that Ralf applies and also the gang vocals that back him up. The lyrics also deserve a listen as they continue on with a long standing Primal theme. This also has one of my favorite guitar breaks, a perfectly executed roller coaster of metal guitar.

So five tracks in and this is shaping up to be an insanely good release. "Road To Asylum" continues this promise. This one is classic German power metal in every sense. If you listen to enough of it, you know it when you hear it. This one will be killer live.

I'm torn on track 7 "One Night in December". First it's over nine minutes long. It's also very keyboardy. I know it's not a real word but I'm keeping there anyways. Oddly even at over nine minutes it actually seems to be shorter when you listen to it. I knew it was long but I was actually surprised when I found out just how long it was. My only other issue with this one is that I thought that maybe it needed some more backing vocals at least later in the track. I do like the track though it just doesn't shine as bright as some of those four minute monsters elsewhere on the disc.

Track 8 "Never Pray For Justice" kicks off with some type of sound. I still can't decide what it is chainsaw, mini-bike, food processor? I've listened to the lyrics and I still don't have any idea how to tie that sound back to the song. If I get to talk to Matt about the album I'll be asking him about that. Beyond that the song is great. Another two thumbs up song from these guys. Two more like this and this album will be a total success.

Alas it's not to be. Remember when Klaus Meine decided that it was better for the Scorpions for him to write those acoustic ballads instead of those great Herman Rarebell songs? Remember how betrayed we felt as metalheads? That's how I felt listening to "Born With A Broken Heart". Even having Liv Kristine doing a guest spot here was going to sway me on this one. There is slower stuff that I like, honest. I know come off as only liking the fast stuff but there's plenty of slower stuff that makes the grade. "Slipping Away" from Dokken is a great slow tune. On this one it's not the tempo it's just the vibe I get from it. It's too much of a reminder of the Scorpion's dark times. Moving on...

The closer is "Inseminoid". First off I freaking love that title. I don't know why but it sounds very metal. Remember the machine on the cover of Hurricane's "Slave To The Thrill" I think that should have been called the Inseminoid. Anyways, the last track once again redeems the band. Another example of well crafted power metal. This one has everything you listen to Primal Fear for. A killer galloping drum part, crunchy guitars and the ever present voice of Ralf Scheepers. A cool note on this one is the way that the vocal melody follows the chord stabs on the guitars. This one is so good I'm almost willing to forgive them for the previous track.

So all in all "Delivering The Black" has once again delivered on the legacy that is Primal Fear. Seven killer metal tracks that clock in at five minutes or less. Two longer tunes that still stand strong and fit with the rest of the tracks and one that just didn't work for me. When I had talked with matt Sinner over the summer he had said the new Primal was going to amazing and he was more right than he knew. I'll be putting down my metal dollars and getting the deluxe edition. I hope that you will too.

PRIMAL FEAR to start the metallic new year with a bang ! "Delivering the Black" - the new album – out on Frontiers in January

Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of PRIMAL FEAR new album “Delivering the Black” on January 24th in Europe and January 28th in North America.

On the heels of the general consensus met by the previous studio album “Unbreakable” which was the band’s highest chart entry in Germany at Position #31, charting in 7 other countries, Primal Fear are only getting better with time and metal fans around the world are acknowledging this.

After some very intense songwriting sessions and pre-production schedule, the band started to record the new album, “Delivering The Black” in summer 2013 at the House of Music studios in Germany, with producer Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Koehler. The idea was to create the most powerful PRIMAL FEAR album ever! The band then moved to Denmark in September to finish the album with acclaimed producer/engineer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Pretty Maids, Amaranthe) handling the mix.

“Delivering The Black” combines the strongest Primal Fear moments ever, with a well-balanced typical PRIMAL FEAR trademark riff-vibe, crushing songs and some very ambitious musical journeys. The centerpiece of the album is the two epic tracks “When Death Comes Knocking” and the 10 minute opus “One Night In December”, spiced with big orchestral arrangements and complex sound designs.

Classic and ultra-fresh PRIMAL FEAR riff-rockers like the title track, the album opener “King For A Day” or the groove monsters “Alive And On Fire” and “Road To Asylum” hit the bulls-eye just like the untamed speed killer “Rebel Faction”. The outstanding ballad “Born With A Broken Heart” shows a new side of PRIMAL FEAR with an acoustic guitar vibe and the addition of Liv Kristine (Leaves’ Eyes) on backing vocals.

Singer Ralf Scheepers says: “We worked hard to create our best album ever. I already felt the vibe during the pre-production, that we were working on something very special this time! And now the result is just an amazing Metal album, I’m extremely proud of!” Producer/bassist Mat Sinner adds: “The songs, the production, the sound – this album is a very special one for me and my career. In my view everybody in the band just did a killer job and Jacob was fantastic choice to mix the album!”

The release of “Delivering the Black” will be anticipated by the release of the digital only single / video “When Death Comes Knocking” on December 2nd – a song which sets the pace for the outstanding quality of production and songwriting displayed on the full album. You can enjoy a sample of the track following this link: http://youtu.be/TK7BEWgEkQE

“Delivering The Black” will be available in regular cd edition, deluxe edition with 2 bonus tracks and – in cooperation with Soulfood Music - vinyl edition and DVD and limited edition (666 copies only!) of a Super-de-luxe version including a metallic eagle!

“Delivering The Black” tracklisting includes:

King For a Day; Rebel Faction; When Death Comes Knocking; Alive & On Fire; Delivering the Black; Road to Asylum; One Night In December; Never Pray for Justice; Born with a Broken Heart; Innocent Man (*); Inseminoid; Man Without Shadow (*);When Death Comes Knocking (Single Edit) (*)

(*) Only available on Deluxe edition

DVD (Only available with Deluxe edition) – When Death Comes Knocking (video), King For A Day (video), Making of the Album (video).

Don’t miss the German Metal Commando on their worldwide tour in 2014!

ROCK HARD presents:

EAGLES & LIONS TOUR 2014

PRIMAL FEAR

BULLET & SPECIAL GUEST

24.01.14 D-Regensburg - Airport Obertraubling

25.01.14 D-Memmingen - Kaminwerk

26.01.14 D-Ludwigsburg - Rockfabrik

28.01.14 D-Nürnberg - Hirsch

29.01.14 CH-Pratteln - Z 7

31.01.14 ES-Madrid - Penelope

01.02.14 ES-Bilbao - Santana 27

02.02.14 ES-Barcelona - Razzmatazz 2

06.02.14 D-Mannheim - Alte Seilerei

07.02.14 BEL-Vosselaar - Biebob

08.02.14 D-Bochum - Matrix

11.02.14 D-Berlin - K 17

14.02.14 SL-Bratislava - Majestic

15.02.14 CZ-Zlin - MOR Cafe

16.02.14 SL-Kosice - Collosseum

…… more shows will be added soon!

PRIMAL FEAR on tour with Rock Meets Classic

feat. Alice Cooper, Uriah Heep & more!

09.03.14 BERLIN - Tempodrom

11.03.14 FRANKFURT - Jahrhunderthalle

12.03.14 NEU-ULM - Ratiopharm Arena

13.03.14 NÜRNBERG - Arena

14.03.14 WÜRZBURG - S.Oliver Arena

16.03.14 PASSAU - Dreiländerhalle

18.03.14 MANNHEIM - SAP Arena

19.03.14 KEMPTEN - Big BOX Allgäu

20.03.14 MÜNCHEN - Olympiahalle

22.03.14 REGENSBURG - Donau-Arena

23.03.14 CH - ZUERICH - Hallenstadion

25.03.14 F - STRASBOURG – Zenith

26.03.14 AT - INNSBRUCK - Olympiahalle

27.03.14 INGOLSTADT - Saturn Arena

29.03.14 HALLE - Gerry Weber Stadion

30.03.14 LEIPZIG - Arena

01.04.14 HAMBURG - O2 World

02.04.14 ESSEN - Grugahalle

04.04.14 STUTTGART - Porsche-Arena

05.04.14 DRESDEN - Messehalle 1

BW&BK - Bravewords.com presents:

PRIMAL FEAR - NORTH AMERICA 2014

29.04.14 USA Baltimore - Soundstage

30.04.14 USA New York - Stage 48

01.05.14 CAN Quebec - Le Cercle

02.05.14 CAN Montreal - Petit Campus

03.05.14 CAN Toronto - MOD Club

04.05.14 USA Cleveland - Agora Theater

06.05.14 USA Joliet, Illinois - Mojoes

07.05.14 USA Lawrence, Kansas - Granada Theater

08.05.14 USA Denver - Bluebird Theater

10.05.14 USA Seattle - El Corazon

11.05.14 CAN Vancouver - The Venue

12.05.14 USA Portland - Hawthorne Theater

14.05.14 USA  San Francisco - DNA Lounge

15.05.14 USA  Anaheim California - The Grove

16.05.14 USA Tempe, Arizona - Club Red

18.05.14 USA Dallas, Texas - Trees

19.05.14 USA Houston, Texas - Scout Bar

21.05.14 USA Atlanta - The Masquerade

22.05.14 USA Louisville - Diamond Pub

23.05.14 USA Pittsburgh - Altar Bar

24.05.14 USA Rochester - Montage Music Hall

…… forthcoming South & Central America & Australia

Primal Fear

Ralf Scheepers – Vocals

Alex Beyrodt – Guitars

Magnus Karlsson – Guitar, Keyboards

Randy Black – Drums

Mat Sinner – Bass & Vocals

www.primalfear.de

www.facebook.com/PrimalFearOfficial