Despite featuring a version of DEEP PURPLE's 'Speed King', the first offering fronted by ex-GAMMA RAY vocalist Ralf Scheepers act PRIMAL FEAR is in the main heavily rooted in traditional Heavy Metal territory, many believing they have a strong likeness to JUDAS PRIEST. Their use of a trademark eagle device, ala 'Screaming For Vengeance', did little to sway such assumptions. From a standing start PRIMAL FEAR, conceived in Esslingen by MAT SINNER, the leading force behind his own popular namesake act SINNER, have quickly rose to become one of Germany's leading Metal outfits with considerable sales and a loyal fan base. The band has also made a significant impact on the global Metal market delivering a series of albums blessed with tight songwriting honed with characteristic muscular riffs.

Previous to the formation of PRIMAL FEAR, Sinner had carved his reputation with a consistent string of SINNER albums dating back to the mid 80s as well as embellishing his record with a solo album and repute as an in demand producer. Sinner had signed the PRIMAL FEAR project to the Japanese JVC Victor label upfront of negotiating a deal with Nuclear Blast in Germany. Meantime, Ralf Scheepers had made himself a household name fronting GAMMA RAY. Antecedent to this act he had headed up TYRAN PACE and performed live with HELLOWEEN during 1986. Scheepers had come close to the landing the job as vocalist for JUDAS PRIEST and was in fact gigging with a cover band titled JUST PRIEST. The vocalist already had a contract secured with Japanese label JVC and PRIMAL FEAR was borne when Sinner pulled in Scheepers and SINNER colleague Tom Naumann for recording. The debut album saw drums from PROLOPOWER's Klaus Sperling. Scheeper's former GAMMA RAY guitar partner Kai Hansen also contributed to three tracks. Germany's late 90's appetite for traditional Metal and Scheepers standing in the Metal community, it was not such a great surprise that the debut album charted in its homeland.

In April of 1998 PRIMAL FEAR toured Europe sharing billing with RUNNING WILD. The band also put in numerous festival appearances including the infamous Dutch Dynamo festival where the band hit the stage at 3 O'Clock in the morning.

The second album, 'Jaws Of Death' released in 1999, sees the inclusion of a cover of RAINBOW's 'Kill The King'. At this time the band also cut a take on ACCEPT's 'Breaker' for a Nuclear Blast ACCEPT tribute album. PRIMAL FEAR, now with Klaus Sperling back on the drum kit, toured Germany in 1999 supported by METALIUM and SINERGY. The band also extended their reach into a further ten European countries as well as gigs in Brazil and double headliners in Japan with SINNER.

Supporting the third album 'Nuclear Fire' the band, now with Scheepers sporting a shaved head, toured Germany in February 2001 with support from CHILDREN OF BODOM and SACRED STEEL. In Europe the band gigged across a total of twelve nations. The album gave the band another chart success reaching no. 37 in the German national charts. Another showing at the annual Wacken festival ensued and the band would also put in their debut showing on British soil with an appearance at the Derby 'Bloodstock' festival. Two US festival appearances, their North American debut, would also figure on the band's itinerary.

PRIMAL FEAR would donate a rendition of GARY MOORE's 'Out In The Fields' to the PHIL LYNOTT tribute album 'The Spirit Of The Black Rose'. In September the band issued a new single compiling their version of 'Out In The Fields', ACCEPT's 'Breaker' and RAINBOW's 'Kill The King'.

Both Scheeper and Sinner would donate their services to the GERMAN ROCK STARS October 2001 song 'Wings Of Freedom' in honour of the September 11th World Trade Center victims. Meantime drummer Klaus Sperling could be found as a member of Death Metal band MY DARKEST FEAR on their 'Massive Brutality' album. This side act of Sperling's also numbered AZMODAN vocalist René Pfeiffer and SACRED STEEL personnel Jörg M. Knittel and Oliver Großhans.

HALFORD guitarist MIKE CHLASCIAK would contribute guest guitar solos to two tracks on the 2002 PRIMAL FEAR album 'Black Sun' namely 'Controlled' and 'Fear'. The record gave PRIMAL FEAR their fourth consecutive German chart entry, landing at no. 55. An extensive live schedule would be announced commencing with Russian shows in August upfront of a lengthy European trek and South American action in Colombia, Mexico and Brazil. An extensive run of European dates had the band paired up with RAGE.

Mat Sinner would add guest session lead vocals on U.S. guitarist RICK RENSTROM's solo album 'Until The Bitter End', featuring on the track 'Calling on Vengeance'. Meantime PRIMAL FEAR had their version of 'The Rover' included on the Locomotive Music LED ZEPPELIN tribute album 'The Metal Zeppelin — The Music Remains The Same' and would record 'Seek And Destroy' for a Nuclear Blast METALLICA collection. During November guitarist Henny Wolter bowed out for personal reasons. PRIMAL FEAR rapidly re-inducted original guitarist Tom Naumann in his stead. In early 2003 Naumann contributed a guest solo to the ROB ROCK album 'Eyes Of Eternity'.

The band was to team up with HALFORD, TESTAMENT, PAIN MUSEUM, CARNAL FORGE, AMON AMARTH and IMMORTAL for the much vaunted 'Metal Gods 2003' North American tour package in April, but these dates soon collapsed ANNIHILATOR and REBELLION drummer Randy Black was to take the place of Sperling for these gigs. By August it was revealed that Black had made the position permanent.

The band originally leaked a working title of 'In Metal' for their next studio album but by September had switched this to 'Devil's Ground'. Included in this set would be song song 'Sacred Illusion', co-composed by TYRAN PACE members Ralf Schulz and Oli Kaufmann. A cover version of BLACK SABBATH's 'Die Young' appeared on both the limited European digipak version and the Japanese version. European shows would be projected for March of 2004 to coincide with an album launch, partnering PRIMAL FEAR with BRAINSTORM and ROB ROCK'S RAGE OF CREATION. Successive mainland gigs had the group proposed for a union with ICED EARTH and Finns THUNDERSTONE. However, when the headliner act pulled out due to an injury to Jon Schaeffer's back PRIMAL FEAR endeavoured to plug some of the dates on their own. As it transpired, the band leapt into the headlining position for the European 'Wacken Roadshow' tour atop FREEDOM CALL, METALIUM and DARK AGE. A second promotional video clip to promote the 'Devil's Ground' album was lensed in April, 'The Healer' filmed in the Netherlands with director Maurice Swinkels. Gigs in June saw the band traversing Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

Guitarist Tom Naumann donated a guitar solo for the track 'Impaler' on the PARAGON album 'Revenge' in October. In December it would be revealed songwriting sessions for a new PRIMAL FEAR album included collaborations with Ronny Milianowicz of DIONYSUS and SINERGY repute.

A benefit appearance with a myriad of PRIMAL FEAR connections saw the band performing at the 4th March 2005 'Rock For One World' event in Esslingen. Also the bill would be Matt Sinner's recently resurrected SHIVA, MY DARKEST HATE, featuring former PRIMAL FEAR drummer Klaus Sperling, RUNAMOK, including STORMWITCH and ex-TYRAN PACE members, BASTARDS, a MOTȪRHEAD cover band with Klaus Sperling and CHINCHILLA members, WHO KNOWS, with former TYRAN PACE members and KAMINARI.

Drummer Randy Black, retaining ties to PRIMAL FEAR, joined SKEW SISKIN in April. PRIMAL FEAR's 'Seven Seals' album emerged in October, promoted by an exhaustive series of dates in partnership with HELLOWEEN, commencing in the Czech Republic in November and taking in Slovakia, Poland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and Spain into December before resuming in 2006 with shows across Germany, Austria, Rumania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and the UK. In the midst of these exhaustive dates both Mat Sinner and Ralf Scheepers found time in November 2005 to appear live with TRIBUZY at two back to back gigs at Brazil's São Paulo's Credicard Hall in an all star band alongside BRUCE DICKINSON, ROLAND GRAPOW, ANGRA's Kiko Loureiro and Roy Z.

The group entered 2006 by closing their longstanding business relationship with Nuclear Blast Records, bowing out with the compilation 'Metal Is Forever'. Unexpectedly, PRIMAL FEAR signed to the Italian label Frontiers, better known up to that date for their work in the AOR field. In October 2006 Ralf Scheepers contributed backing vocals to the SINNER album 'Mask Of Sanity'.

Later that month the group united with a heavyweight billing comprising STRATOVARIUS, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, SAXON, NEVERMORE, AFTER FOREVER, SEPULTURA and GOTTHARD for the 'Live n' Louder' festivals across Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

PRIMAL FEAR cut fresh album tracks, dubbed 'New Religion', at the House of Music studio in Winterbach, Germany with engineer and co-producer Charlie Bauerfeind during February 2007. Guest musicians on the album included Magnus Karlsson, of STARBREAKER, Kai Hansen, of GAMMA RAY, and Simone Simons from EPICA.

In September 2008 AFM Records announced the signing of Mat Sinner and guitarist Alex Beyrodt's latest band project VOODOO CIRCLE. For an eponymous album they would be joined by singer David Readman, of PINK CREAM 69, drummer Mel Gaynor, citing credits with SIMPLE MINDS, GARY MOORE, BRIAN MAY and SAMSON plus keyboard player Jimmy Kresic. 

Magnus Karlsson joined the band for 2008 touring. PRIMAL FEAR entered the recording studio at House Of Music studios once again with Dennis Ward and Achim Köhler, on 28th November to begin recording their new album, '16.6 - Before The Devil Knows Your Dead', marking the group's first release with guitarist Magnus Karlsson. Japanese versions added an extra track, a remix of 'No Smoke Without Fear'. Upon release in May 2009 the album hit no. 79 on the Swedish charts. Frontiers Records gave the record a US release in June.

Garry Sharpe-Young