Band : Scheepers
Album title : Scheepers
Label : Frontiers Records
Distributor : Rough Trade Benelux
Release Date : 18/02/2011
Release : CD

Having a career that spans almost three decades, Ralf Scheepers, current vocalist of heavy metal band Primal Fear, has had the occasion to release his first solo-album. He debuted in 1983 with the German band Tyran Pace on their ‘Eye to Eye’ album, sung with Gamma Ray on their first three albums, and then started Primal Fear, together with Ward Sinner.

If you know the work of Primal Fear, then you’ll also be pleased by this album I suppose.  The voice of Ralf is not unique in its genre, but not that much vocalists manage to sound almost exactly like Rob Halford.  As a matter of fact when Halford left Judas Priest for a few years, Ralf  even came in the picture as a probable replacement.  Even Helloween at a time considered him as a possible next vocalist. For this album he got the aid of his long time Primal Fear buddies Ward Sinner and Magnus Karlsson, Snowy Shaw (King Diamond, Therion) on drums.  There’s also  a song with that other Rob Halford sound-alike Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens. For Judas Priest fans, just check out the cover version Ralf has made of "Before The Dawn", it’s unusual, but it sounds great.

A very decent album that shows what a fine vocalist Ralf is.

98/100

Erik Morren.