Primal Fear – O2 Academy Islington, London — 11th March 2026

Review by Robert Corich

The Domination Tour — A Teutonic Masterclass in Metal

The Domination Tour certainly sounded like it meant business — although after witnessing the proceedings at the O2 Academy Islington, I’m not entirely sure who dominated who!

If Ronnie Romero had already set the bar rather nicely with his opening set, Primal Fear proceeded to pick it up, throw it several feet into the air and then hammer the living daylights out of it.

From the opening “We Walk Without Fear” intro and the thunderous arrival of “Destroyer”, this was a masterclass in how to deliver traditional heavy metal with power, precision and absolutely no messing about.

The current Primal Fear line-up is quite simply a Teutonic heavy-metal powerhouse, with founder and vocalist Ralf Scheepers leading from the front, alongside fellow founder Mat Sinner on bass and vocals, the formidable Magnus Karlsson on guitar, the sharp and hugely talented Thalìa Bellazecca on the other guitar and the powerhouse drumming of André Hilgers.

Together they form one hell of a metallic machine. There was an intense, precise delivery throughout, that almost clinical efficiency you might expect from a bunch of Germans who have come to the stage to do one thing — deliver the metal, and deliver it properly. Every riff was locked in, every drum hit landed with purpose and the whole thing was driven by an almost relentless momentum.

And presiding over this metallic assault was the epic vocal delivery of founder Ralf Scheepers. His voice remains one of those great heavy-metal instruments — powerful, soaring and seemingly capable of cutting through a solid block of granite. There is a strength and authority to his delivery that few can match.

Then there was Thalìa Bellazecca, bringing her own considerable talent and attitude to the twin-guitar attack. Sharp, beautiful and seriously talented, she was every bit as fierce and assured as her male counterparts — and watching her strut her stuff while delivering those razor-sharp guitar lines was quite something. Indeed, she was quite possibly one of the sexiest women in rock seen on a stage in recent years — and, importantly, she could absolutely play the goods!

Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson added their considerable experience and guitar firepower, while André Hilgers supplied the kind of powerhouse drumming that keeps a band like this moving at full steam. Put all five together and you have a beautifully balanced combination of experience, musicianship, power and sheer bloody-minded Teutonic efficiency.

The Academy was soon shaking under the weight of it all, with “I Am the Primal Fear,” “Final Embrace” and “Nuclear Fire” establishing very early that this was going to be one of those nights where the volume knob was firmly set to 11.

And then there was “Seven Seals.”

There is something wonderfully unapologetic about Primal Fear. No fancy gimmicks required — just twin-guitar firepower, thunderous drums, bass you could feel in your chest and vocals that could probably strip paint from the walls.

The set rattled through “The Hunter,” “Tears of Fire,” “King of Madness” and “The End Is Near”, before “Hallucinations” and “Fighting the Darkness” provided further evidence that this band can switch between outright metal assault and something considerably more atmospheric without ever losing the plot.

By the time “Chainbreaker,” “Metal Is Forever,” “Hands of Time” and “Running in the Dust” brought the evening home, there was little doubt that Primal Fear had delivered exactly what the title on the tin promised.

As I was due to fly back to the US just a few days later, I thought it only appropriate that I invest in a Primal Fear T-shirt — partly as a souvenir, but primarily, of course, as an educational aid for the rather more conservative locals I would no doubt encounter at the succession of gigs awaiting me over there.

With Santana, UB40, Triumph and Quiet Riot, amongst others, already lined up, the question now is simply which one should I actually wear the Primal Fear shirt to?

I suspect there could be some interesting reactions…

A Ronnie Romero appetiser followed by a Primal Fear feast made for one hell of a Wednesday night.

The Domination Tour? Well, Ronnie certainly put up a good fight — so I’m still not entirely sure who dominated who!

Either way, this was heavy metal in its purest form — loud, muscular, melodic, intensely precise and technically superb, performed by a Teutonic powerhouse with just the right amount of Italian/Cuban spice.

Metal is forever indeed.

And given half the chance, I’ll be back to see Primal Fear sooner rather than later.