In July 1999, the 2nd album Jaws of Death was released. Shortly after its release guitarist Tom Naumann left the band due to health problems. During the tour through Europe, Brazil and Japan he was replaced by Alex Beyrodt. In January 2000, Henny Wolter joined the band as a permanent replacement. In early 2001, the third album Nuclear Fire was released. At the following world tour the band played in the US for the first time and were guests at the Metal Meltdown Festival and the Milwaukee Metalfest.
The next album Black Sun was released on 29 April 2002 and entered the German LP charts at place 55. Halford-Guitarist Mike Chlasciak contributed the guitar solos for the songs "Fear" and "Armageddon". The highlight of the following double-headliner tour with fellow band Rage was a gig at the Scala in London. The same year Henny Wolter left the band and was replaced by the returning Tom Naumann. With this line-up the band again toured through Brazil and ended the Black Sun tour. In April–May 2003, the band participated in the "Metal Gods" tour together with Rob Halford, Testament and a few other bands and toured through the US and Canada. During the Tour drummer Klaus Sperling was replaced by Randy Black. After the tour, Randy joined the band permanently.
In February 2004, the 5th album Devil's Ground was released and entered the German LP charts at place 67. April of the same year the band started another world tour in which the band toured through Europe, Japan, the US and South America including one of the band's biggest hits "Metal Is Forever". Directly after the tour the band recorded their 6th album Seven Seals in Vancouver and Stuttgart. It was released in Fall of 2005 mixed by Mike Frazer in Vancouver. To promote the album the band went on Europe and Japan tour together with fellow power metal band Helloween.
In July 2006, the band surprisingly left Nuclear Blast Records and signed a long-term contract with Frontiers Records. As a "parting gift" Nuclear Blast released the best of compilation Metal Is Forever.
In February 2007, during the recordings for the next album New Religion, the band decided after long discussions about the future of the band that Henny Wolter would return as 2nd guitarist and Tom Naumann would leave the band. The album was finished under the direction of producer Mat Sinner and engineer and co-producer Charlie Bauerfeind and was mixed by Roland Prent in the Galaxy Studios in Belgium. It was released in September 2007 and entered the German LP charts at place 60. They started their New Religion tour as co-headliner of the sold out ProgPower USA (PPUSA) VIII festival in Atlanta, US. Afterwards they toured together with U.D.O. through Europe. They continued the tour in January 2008 due to the band's 10th birthday and once again toured through Europe.
Early March 2008, the band announced that longtime guitarist Stefan Leibing had left the band because he wanted to spend more time with his family and his business. On future releases and tours he would be replaced by Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson, who already contributed two guitar solos for the New Religion album. In December 2008 the band entered the House of Music Studios to record their next album 16.6 (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead). They said that "the music includes a lot of the vibe of our very first albums" and that "a new Primal Fear album always contained some new musical challenges, real surprises". The Album was released on 22 May in Europe and 9 June in the US. The Video for the song Six Time Dead (16.6) has premiered on 8 May on the band's official MySpace channel. The Album reached No. 46 on the German, No. 52 in Swedish and No. 28 in the Japanese album charts. The band started their longest tour ever in South America, North America, Canada, Europe and Japan to promote their new album. A new live CD and DVD was recorded during every leg on the tour. In 2010 the band spent their longest time on the road in North America tour, followed by another European Tour in September–November 2010.
On 8 July 2011, the band announced their next album Unbreakable. The album was released on 20 January 2012. The band toured extensively throughout 2012 in support of the album on the "Metal Nation" tour, of which the European leg included dates in Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia among others. The band also played several more shows in 2013.
On 20 May 2013, it was announced on the band's official website that they would begin recording their next album the following day. On 4 October, Primal Fear announced their new album Delivering the Black. It was released on 24 January 2014 by Frontiers Records.
On 11 August 2014, drummer Randy Black parted ways with the band due to "irreconcilable differences" between him and Ralf Scheepers. His last appearance was at the Summer Breeze festival in Germany. His departure became effective on 16 August. On 13 June 2015, the band announced that former U.D.O. drummer Francesco Jovino would replace him along with returning guitarist Tom Naumann.
On 22 January 2016, the band released their eleventh studio album Rulebreaker. In November 2017, Primal Fear entered the studio to begin work on their twelfth album Apocalypse, which was released 10 August 2018.
On 3 April 2020, Primal Fear announced the title of their thirteenth studio album Metal Commando, along with a release date of 17 July 2020. A single titled "Along Came the Devil", in support of the upcoming album was released on 15 May 2020. On 9 April 2021, Primal Fear released an EP titled I Will Be Gone, featuring Tarja Turunen.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_Fear_(band)
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)
The Ritual
Primal Fear Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a prayer for the dead
Can you feel the black throne
From the fallen angel
I've settled the world
Survived a stranger's places
Another deja vu
[?] falling through [?]
Heads or tails, you do or die
Kill your demons to turn the skies
It's unpredictable
It's [?]
Always spiritual
Is the ritual
It is untouchable
It's indestructible
It's invincible
It's the ritual
You can't kill the holy showers
On your journey to asylum
Sentenced to inhale the smoke of fear
Listen to the ghostly cry
When death is shining
The defender of the dark is here
Heads or tails, you do or die
Kill your demons to turn the skies
It's unpredictable
It's [?]
Always spiritual
Is the ritual
It is untouchable
It's indestructible
It's invincible
It's the ritual
Heads or tails, you do or die
Kill your demons to turn the skies
It's unpredictable
It's [?]
Always spiritual
Is the ritual
It is untouchable
It's indestructible
It's invincible
It's the ritual
It's unpredictable
It's [?]
Always spiritual
Is the ritual
It is untouchable
It's indestructible
It's invincible
It's the ritual
The lyrics to Primal Fear's song "The Ritual" appear to be a spiritual and somewhat ominous commentary on the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The first verse speaks of prayer for both the dying and the dead, alluding to a sense of acceptance of this cycle. The mention of a "black throne" and a "fallen angel" suggest a darker undertone, perhaps alluding to the idea of a tempter or adversary in the face of death. The reference to surviving "a stranger's places" and experiencing deja vu implies a sense of having been here before, despite the uncertainty of what lies beyond.
The chorus seems to emphasize the power and importance of the ritual itself, as something that is unpredictable, spiritual, untouchable, indestructible, and invincible. It suggests that this cycle of life and death is not something to be feared, but rather something to be celebrated and embraced as a part of a larger, mystical whole. The final verse emphasizes the idea of struggling against the inevitability of death, of being "sentenced to inhale the smoke of fear," while also acknowledging the presence of a "defender of the dark" who stands ready to guide souls through the transition.
Overall, "The Ritual" seems to celebrate the power and mystery of the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth, presenting it as something to be respected and honored rather than feared.
Line by Line Meaning
One more prayer for the dying
Asking for one last hope for someone in the final moments of their life
And a prayer for the dead
Asking for peace for those who have already passed on
Can you feel the black throne
Sensing the existence of evil, the prevailing power of darkness
From the fallen angel
Assuming the darkness originates from a failed angel, who is now an instrument of the devil
I've settled the world
Having traveled extensively, knowing the world well
Survived a stranger's places
Having been in dangerous environments and lived to tell the tale
Another deja vu
Experiencing a ubiquitous moment from an earlier time and place
[?] falling through [?]
The sensation of losing ground beneath your feet, falling into an unknown territory
Heads or tails, you do or die
Taking high stakes decisions that may tilt the situation in your favor or define your fate
Kill your demons to turn the skies
Exorcising your personal demons or inner fears can lead to a transformative positive experience
It's unpredictable
Nobody can predict what happens next
It's [?]
The emotion, concept or action is unknown or different for everyone
Always spiritual
The occasion is connected to the realm beyond the physical
Is the ritual
The happening is a ceremonious practice or habitual routine
It is untouchable
The occurrence is beyond the reach of human interference
It's indestructible
The happening can't be destroyed or wiped out by any means
It's invincible
The happening can't be conquered, defeated or weakened
It's the ritual
The happening is essentially the ritual in the focus of the song
You can't kill the holy showers
The divine blessings can't be taken away or destroyed
On your journey to asylum
While seeking refuge, asylum or solace in a safe space
Sentenced to inhale the smoke of fear
Forced to endure the unpleasant smells, sounds and anxieties of a terrifying situation
Listen to the ghostly cry
Hearing the wail of a ghost, a sound with spiritual implications
When death is shining
An attempt to describe the harrowing moment of death as a manifestation of brightness or luminosity
The defender of the dark is here
Believing in the existence of a hero who can stand up against the destructive force of darkness
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Matthias Lasch, Ralf Scheepers, Thomas Naumann-Philipp
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Angel AM
Por algo es mi grupo favorito 🤘🤘
Alexandre Oliveira
Cada vez melhor primal fear, vêem ao Brasil denovo
james andersen
Primal Fear are living proof that Rock and Metal aren't dead! "Apocalypse" is excellent in every way! I'm glad I picked up this CD today.
Jose Gomez
Increíble, de los mejores discos que he escuchado, una pasada, cada disco que sacan mejores, arriba el heavy metal ostiaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!🤘🤘🤘
Giovanni Hell
Chulada de rola, hoy por hoy ya consagrados como uno de los titanes del heavy metal !!!🤘🏻
Ice Blade Films
Some bands just have one memorable member, but Primal Fear is unique because the whole band is memorable and they mesh so well together musically. This line-up truly is excellent! These guys just keep getting better!
Draven Quinn
Randy Black is my favourite Primal Fear drummer
Draven Quinn
They’ve had 5 drummers overall
Klaus Sperling 1997-2003
Randy Black 2003-2014
Aquiles Priester 2014-2015
Francesco Jovino 2015-2019
Michael Ehre 2019-present
Rob Canada
I'm really late discovering this band, but I love 'em
GRILLBUOY101
@Draven Quinn yeah i saw eandy on the 2010 tour.it was killer., henny & alex on guitar and Matt& Ralph were super tight. great live band