PRIMAL FEAR Slams Illegal Downloading

German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have issued the following update:

"A newly released study by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) from Texas estimates that global music piracy is costing the U.S. economic output 12.5 billion dollars and 71,060 jobs every year! It came as a shock to us to realize what extreme level illegal downloading has reached for PRIMAL FEAR and the metal scene.

"We've put months of hard work into our forthcoming CD, 'New Religion', which has cost a huge investment on our part to deliver the fans the best possible product we can. Now we've found out that according to objective statistics, four weeks before the official release our new CD it has already been downloaded illegally in numbers reaching into five digits! Those numbers are very disappointing! Still we're very proud of our new album."

PRIMAL FEAR's new album, "New Religion", is due in Europe on September 21 via Frontiers Records. A U.S. release date has not yet been announced. Guest musicians on the album include Magnus Karlsson (STARBREAKER, ALLEN/LANDE),Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, ex-HELLOWEEN) and Simone Simons (EPICA). Check out audio samples at this location.

PRIMAL FEAR recently extended its ten-year partnership with Warner/Chappell Publishing for a minimum of three more albums and five years.

PRIMAL FEAR released a "best of" collection, entitled "Metal is Forever - The Very Best of Primal Fear", in Europe on September 29 via the band's previous label, Nuclear Blast Records (with whom they parted ways earlier in the year). The album's artwork was created by Stephan Lohrmann, who was also responsible for the cover of PRIMAL FEAR's "Black Sun" album. The 16-track compilation also includes a special bonus CD of "classic metal tracks." The CD was issued in North America on April 2.