Review Summary: It's Power Metal...you know the drill
Now I dunno what the Power Metal Sickos think of this album. Hell, it might be their AOTY or it might be just another Judas Priest ripoff. I don’t think I’ve really been part of that audience since somewhere between when the The Keeper of the Seven Keys first unlocked his door and then slammed it shut. And yeah, I kinda blame Helloween for all this modern Power Metal. But I digress. Back when I was growing out my first mullet and fighting acne with Stridex pads, the first wave of these would-be castle stormers were a bunch of wide-eyed misfits on the heels of the N.W.O.B.H.M all trying to find a unique voice in this emerging genre; everything from the “Maiden on Marlboros” gruff gallop of Omen to Warlord’s detached gothic mystique to Cirith Ungol’s mutant mic’d bass throb to the toxic masculinity of Manowar. The scene was ripe with creativity and individuality. And then HERE COMES HELLOWEEN.
Which brings me to Primal Fear’s 15th(!) studio album, the timidly titled Domination. And look, I realize that Heavy Metal in its purest form is a stubborn, hard-nosed creature of comfort. And that is what we get here. Power Metal in the modern day is a funhouse mirror of bands staring at themselves and each other, seemingly unable to break past the core sound that Hellow-***in’-ween dropped out nearly 40 years ago! Thankfully, PF are on the slightly less cheddar side of the cheese platter, certainly not afraid to dip a few nachos, but also hesitant to completely swan dive into the ***er. The festivities begin with a steely trio of plus-side moat jumpers, “The Hunter” spearing a mid-paced battlefield mood build with a hook-filled triumphant chorus that pines for your attention, which leads to the snarling crunch of “Destroyer” going toe-to-toe with the latest batch of Priest excellence, nothing inventive or unique, but even the most jaded Metalhead would likely be swayed by the quality Headbangabilty therein. “Far Away” is one of Domination’s highlights, finding a winning balance between commerciality and heartfelt art, delivering a mini-epic that houses familiar ingredients that overachieve on basic sweat ethic and a nod to Yngwie’s OTT guitar pyrotechnics.
The final 45-odd minutes of this thing is a mixed bag of auto-pilot filler with a few dragon slayers amongst the run of run-of-the-mill (NOT a Judas Priest joke…I swear!) selections of middling to solid ideas. I did find it a hoot to hear Primal Fear doing a solid Lizzy Borden circa ’87 impersonation with the semi-eponymous “We Are the Primal Fear”, complete with a Horror-themed music vid. “Heroes and Gods” is a fun Spinal Tap-ish speed Metal spud, and “Hallucinations” is a smartly played instrumental that disguises the pure shred fest within an almost humble ballad…kudos. “Eden” meanwhile could rub shoulders with Bon Jovi if ol’ Jon traded in his Steel Horse for a Roman Chariot. The back end slumps along with the exceptions of the swanky street level vibe of “The Dead Don’t Lie”, complete with a deliberate badass ‘tude and a chorus right out of Alterbridge’s(!!!!!!) playbook (hey look….it kinda works!). “March Boy March” is the metallic M.V.P. of this macrobrew, the title and intro pulled from the flames of a Zeal & Ardor fever dream, then delivered full force with a VENGEANCE of speed metal mayhem that still retains Primal Fear’s classy melodicism….a nice wake up call after a bunch of middling jesters. “A Tune I Won’t Forget” closes things out by outright lying, this cinematic dirge utilizing both spoken word and yawn inducing croon to limp towards Frodo’s tiny house. Probably just another payday for J.R.R Tolkien...or Helloween. Go figure.
