One of the most popular German power metal bands of the 21st century, Esslington, Germany’s Primal Fear formed in 1997 when lead singer Ralf Scheepers teamed with bassist Mat Sinner. Though the band would undergo numerous line-up changes over the years, those two would remain consistent. Veterans of the metal scene before forming the group, Scheepers supposedly was on the shortlist to replace Rob Halford in Judas Priest, the band established their heavy metal authenticity with their 1998 debut LP Primal Fear. Their melodic songs and heavy riffs indicated their debt to Judas Priest as well as other British metal acts such as Iron Maiden. They continued the formula for 1999’s Jaws of Death. They finally played in America while touring behind their third album, 2001's Nuclear Fire. Their establishment in the metal pantheon was cemented when they toured with Rob Halford and other acts on the 2003 Metal Gods tour. After 2005’s Seven Seals, the band switched record labels. That move, and the groups tireless touring schedule, helped make their 9th album, 2012’s Unbreakable, a multi-national success charting throughout Europe as well as in Japan and the United States. In 2021, nearly a quarter century after their founding, the band hit the singles charts again with “I Will Be Gone” from their Metal Commando album.