Scheepers – S/T (2011)
Ralf Scheepers has had a long career in hard rock & metal. With over 25 years of service in the bands Tyran Pace, Gamma Ray and Primal Fear, I found it surprising that Ralf finally chose to do a solo album. One might think that with this being a solo disc, that Ralf might try some different things, or slow it down somewhat. Ralf did exactly the opposite by putting out a quality solo effort, that is a full fledged metal disc, that is absolutely essential to every fan of the genre.
The metal music on Scheepers reminds me a lot of Nightcrawler era Judas Priest. Dare I say that this is even better than the last Primal Fear album? This is really good stuff!! Scheepers is packed with metal guest stars including Tim “Ripper” Owens, “Metal” Mike Chlasciak (Halford), Snowy Shaw (Therion), Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray) Sander Gommans (After Forever), and Victor Smolski (Rage) as well as Ralf’s Primal Fear band mates, Alex Beyrodt, Magnus Karlsson, and Mat Sinner. Each of these musicians help to create an incredible solo effort with Ralf Scheepers.
Some of the highlights include the awesome opening track “Locked in The Dungeon” which features Metal “Mike” Chlasciak’s blazing guitar work. “Remission of Sin” features Tim “Ripper” Owens singing a duet with Ralf Scheepers. It is amazing how similiar their voices are, and how well their voices blend together. “Before the Dawn” is a really cool cover of the classic Judas Priest tune from their classic disc, Hell Bent for Leather. On this cover, Ralf played all of the instruments, and Victor Smolski from Rage added the excellent guitar solos.
One of my absolute favorites on this CD, is the song “Doomsday”. The guitars, the double bass drumming and Ralf Scheeper’s soaring voice make this songs one of the best on the CD.
While most solo efforts tend to fall short of the bands the artists came from, Ralf Scheepers solo effort simply does not. This CD is an impressive metal offering that will appeal to fans of Primal Fear, Judas Priest, Halford, and heavy metal music. If you haven’t checked out any of the bands Ralf Scheepers has sang with, I highly recommend check out Scheepers. This CD will make you a new fan without question!
For more information on Ralf Scheepers, check out Ralf’s Facebook or Myspace pages. You can purchase Scheepers at this link!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Locked In The Dungeon
2. Remission Of Sin
3. Cyberfreak
4. The Fall
5. Doomsday
6. Saints Of The Rock
7. Before The Dawn
8. Back On Track
9. Dynasty
10. The Pain Of The Accused
11. Play With The Fire
12. Compassion
Ralf Scheepers band is:
Ralf Scheepers – Lead & Backing Vocals; Acoustic Guitar; Keyboards; FX Sounds
Guest Appearances:
Tim “Ripper” Owens – Lead Vocals on “Remission of Sin”
Magnus Karlsson – Lead Guitars, Guitars, Banjo, Accordion, Keyboards
Sander Gommans – Lead Guitar, Guitars
Mike Chlasciak -Lead Guitar
Alex Beyrodt – Lead Guitar
Kai Hansen – Lead Guitar
Victor Smolski- Lead Guitar
Mat Sinner: Bass, Keyboards
Snowy Shaw: Drums
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