Any metalheads out there who like me love 'The Fear', stop reading this, dig deep into your pockets and buy this now. Even better, purchase the limited double disc version comprising the new Primal Fear DVD, 'All Over The World' cos you're going to love it!

For everybody else who hasn't heard of Primal Fear, shame on you. But what do you expect when a band gets virtually ignored by the UK's rock press, instead favouring various over-styled pop/rock bands instead. What was that you said? "People in glass houses shouldn't throw...or was that kids in glass...?"

This album is purely a celebration of the thirteen years that Primal Fear have been together making heavy metal music, with eight studio albums to their credit. What we get on this album is a wealth of live material spanning their entire career, recorded at various shows in places like Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles, whilst the accompanying DVD is recorded at various destinations across the globe.

For anybody out there unfamiliar of Primal Fear, they are a true metal force to be reckoned with. Formed by former Gamma Ray vocalist Ralf Scheepers and former Sinner bassist Mat Sinner, and originally tagged as nothing more than a Judas Priest pastiche (ironically Ralf Scheepers nearly got the Judas Priest job, having only narrowly missed out on the role to Tim 'Ripper' Owens, whilst Rob Halford declared Primal Fear one of his favourite bands after hearing their self titled debut), they have thankfully long since lost the tag by continuously taking their full range of heavy metal influences and creating a metal tour de force in their own right.

Moving on to 'Live In The USA' - what you get for your money is fourteen perfectly performed tracks, proving that whilst heavy metal legends Manowar may lay claim to being 'The Kings Of Metal' (although I'm sure Maiden and Priest will have something to say about that), then Primal Fear are certainly waiting patiently in the wings to take their crown.

In Ralf Scheepers they have one of the mightiest metal vocalists on the planet, perfectly displayed on 'Sign Of Fear' where he reaches notes not heard since Judas Priest's mighty 'Painkiller' album, proving that he has the voice to match his gigantic stature.

I know there are many metal fans that dislike the more recent Primal Fear albums, accusing the band of being less metal than on their earlier material as they take on slower power ballad numbers. But frankly that's utter bollocks! As the slower numbers such as 'Fighting The Darkness', to which we get treated to an extended version here, wipe the floor with many of the so called bands disguising themselves as metal these days.

For everybody else there is a perfect cross section of tracks on offer here, such as fan favourite 'Battalions Of Steel' and 'Nuclear Fire', along with new numbers such as 'Six Times Dead 16.6' and 'Hands Of Time.'

Rock fans were overjoyed last summer when mock glam metallers Steel Panther released the rock parody 'Death To All But Metal', filling up dance floors in rock clubs across the UK, when Primal Fear wrote a song named 'Metal Is Forever' however there was no joke intended, as these guys live, breath and sleep heavy metal, the number being perfectly executed on this very album.

Anybody who like myself managed to attend any of the concerts on Primal Fear's 2009 tour would already have witnessed how great the band were during the tour and I myself will definitely be purchasing the 'All Over The World' DVD to recapture that splendid night in the Highbury Garage last Autumn.

This is most definitely an album that no self-proclaimed metalhead should be without.

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