Primal Fear / Ronnie Romero

O2 Academy, Islington, London

Wednesday 11^th March 2026

Review By Smudge Smith

Wednesday was cold and grey, but after a couple of liveners with my erstwhile colleague Adrian Hextall, we were suitably warmed up for what was to become a wonderful, lively night.

We agreed that both Ronnie Romero and Primal Fear should be playing much larger venues to sold-out crowds, but we were grateful for the opportunity to see them in such an intimate setting.

Ronnie Romero entered without fanfare and with minimal backing: just guitar, bass and drums. The keyboard player couldn’t make the tour, so tapes were used. The talent on show from four of the most unassuming guys was phenomenal. From the moment Ronnie opened his gob, it was clear to see why the likes of Blackmore, Schenker, Richie Faulkner and others have enlisted him. The guy has an awesome set of pipes and is the closest thing you will hear to the legendary Ronnie James Dio.

They kicked off the set with three tracks from his ‘Backbone’ album – the title track, ‘Bring the Rock’ and ‘Eternally’. We got the Rainbow classic ‘Stargazer’, which sounds fresh and exciting, then another from ‘Backbone’ – ‘Never Felt This Way’ – before ‘Castaway On The Moon’ and another Rainbow classic, ‘Kill The King’. Guitarist Jose Rubio ripped those riffs and solos with ease.

This guy is some player, and the engine room of Andrea Arcangeli of DGM and Brummie skinbeater Chris Allan laid it down and locked it in. ‘Chased By Shadows’ led to the surprise of the night, a Deep Purple cover but not one you would expect. It was the title track of their 1993 album ‘The Battle Rages On’, which sounded huge. Saving the best until last, they rattled through ‘Vengeance’, which brought their set to a wonderful climax.

We were all asking how Primal Fear were going to follow that. Well, they stepped up and brought their ‘A’ game. Bear in mind this was the first night of the tour; it was obvious they were well rehearsed and battle-ready. The first two numbers were from their superb new album ‘Domination’ – ‘Destroyer’ and ‘I Am The Primal Fear’. It was back to 1999 for ‘Final Embrace’ before ‘Nuclear Fire’ and the slower, darker ‘Seven Seals’ pounded our ears.

Ralf Scheepers has an incredible voice and a great stage presence which kept the crowd going. Guitarists Magnus Karlsson and Thalia Bellazecca were both on fire and truly ripped those lead breaks. Legendary bassman Mat Sinner made it look easy as he locked in with drummer André Hilgers. It was back to the new one for ‘The Hunter’ and ‘Tears Of Fire’, which stood right alongside the earlier material. ‘King Of Madness’ and ‘The End Is Near’ were greeted happily before the powerful ‘Fighting The Darkness’ led us into the awesome ‘Chainbreaker’. It was sing-a-long time on the anthemic ‘Metal Is Forever’ before some stunning harmonies on ‘Hands of Time’. They finished with another off their debut, ‘Running In The Dust’.

Oh, what a night. It was metal heaven, played by experts. I found it fascinating that the age range in the venue was wide and varied. I spoke with a lass called Emma – who makes chainmail for Beyoncé! And her friend Faye, who had never seen a metal gig before, was thoroughly enjoying the experience, plus Jackie, the bar manager, was throwing her horns and banging her head between pulling pints. It really was a night to remember, and I am thankful to Primal Fear and Ronnie Romero for putting UK dates onto their tour, especially with the cost and the aggravation involved.