André Hilgers

André Hilgers has been Primal Fear's drummer since August 2024. Born in Germany in 1974, he arrived with long experience on the German metal scene, having passed through bands of differing profiles across three decades, among them Rage, Silent Force, Axxis and Sinner — the last being the band of Mat Sinner, Primal Fear's co-founder, which explains the prior familiarity between the two. His arrival is part of the broadest reorganisation in the group's history. In August 2024 the band announced the simultaneous departure of three members, including drummer Michael Ehré, and rebuilt the line-up around Ralf Scheepers, Mat Sinner and Magnus Karlsson, bringing in Hilgers and guitarist Thalìa Bellazecca. His function is well known and demanding: Primal Fear's repertoire is built on double kick at constant tempo, with choruses that require weight without loss of definition and tracks that rarely let up. It is work of endurance as much as of technique, and the experience accumulated in bands speaking the same language is what qualifies him for it. He debuted on Domination (2025), the band's fifteenth studio album.