A new label home can sometimes spell disaster. You've spent your entire musical career on one record label, and your material becomes a major point of interest whenever anyone examines said label. In a way, you kind of become the sound of the label, even though several other bands can share the distinction. Can you imagine Machine Head on any other label but Roadrunner? Or how about Cannibal Corpse somewhere other than Metal Blade? Yeah, me either...

So Primal Fear, after 6 progressively improving albums of sheer power metal awesomeness, have decided to jump ship and move the eagle mascot to another label that...well...I've never even heard of, so I don't have anything to base their decision off of. What I do know though, is when a power metal album is good, great, or utter crap. What I hold in my rough little paw, is a damn great CD!!!

Imagine the sound quality of the last disc, "Seven Seals," but still kicked up a notch to match the riffage especially well. One notable missing link is southpaw axewielder Tom Naumann, also of Sinner. While I miss his heavy chugs and his Zakk Wylde-wannabe squeals, I enjoyed his replacement, Henny Wolter, the first time he was in the band, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt this time around as well. The songs are still there, and Ralf Sheepers is still giving his best Halford-for-the-new-millenium at every turn. Not only that, but truthfully this is one of the more varied Primal Fear releases I've ever heard. Don't get me wrong, every track is sheer power metal brilliance, but you listen to a song like "Every Time It Rains" and you realize that the boys might be on to something with trying to craft DIFFERENT power metal tunes. The extended ballad "Fighting the Darkness" is also a winner, but I wish it was all one track instead of three so that I could listen to it all in it's entirety on my MP3 player. And for those that want the full-on power metal rush that past PF releases had, there's "Face the Emptiness," "Too Much Time," "Sign of Fear," and many other brilliant tracks on this monster of an album. About the only thing I'd suggest, is someone spike Randy Black's coffee, because the man is a criminally-underrated metal drummer and truthfully since he's been in Primal Fear, he hasn't been doing much to showcase his excellent talent. A damn shame...

I'm satisfied with this outting. I'm extremely satisfied with it, to the point where I'd even be pressed to call it the best CD they've ever put out. Just for God's sake don't pull an Evergrey and follow it up with dog vomit!