Prime Creation: Tears Of Rage (self-released, 2019)

Hailing from Sweden, melodic heavy metal band Prime Creation has recently released their second album, titled Tears Of Rage. The band features half of the now-disbanded Morifade lineup as well as powerhouse vocalist Esa Englund ($ilverdollar). Their latest album features production and mixing by Pelle Saether (Grand Design) and mastering by Janne Stark (Grand Design, Overdrive).

Prime Creation basically takes the Morifade power metal sound and dials back the cheese. They sit squarely in that melodic metal space that bands like Masterplan, Pyramaze, Nocturnal Rites and Darkwater occupy. Not quite power, not quite prog, not full-on melodic rock, but cherry-picking the best elements of all of those styles.

Tears Of Rage checks all the boxes. It’s got plenty of power, plenty of melody, has a good crunching heaviness, deft symphonic touches and some really fantastic vocals. Englund is a dominating presence and brings both range and grit, and the big layered choruses are really effective. Highlights here are “Lost In The Shades,” “All For My Crown” and the title track, but the whole album is really solid and easy to get into.

There’s something to be said for simple, straightforward melodic heavy metal that doesn’t get boxed in by any one genre limitation. Prime Creation is a great example of that kind of band that can appeal to power metal fans, prog metal fans, traditional metal fans and hard rock fans at the same time. If you’re into the likes of Masterplan, Jorn, Pyramaze, Pretty Maids, Nocturnal Rites and Darkwater, Tears Of Rage is an album worth checking out.