The beginning of one of the more interesting BM bands
Mark R. Guglielmo | Wood Ridge, NJ United States | 05/29/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Let me preface this review by pointing out that this is the first time I've heard anything by Primordial. They came to my attention as a band whom I might like due to their eclectic mixture of black metal, Celtic and Pagan-infused rhythms and lyrical content, and technical mastery. So what better place to start than the recently re-release (and re-mastered) debut album from this underground/cult Irish black metal band?Right from the get-go, it's apparent that this release is a much more raw and much more black metal style album from what I understand their later albums come to be. It's one of the reasons I normally start with a band's early catalogue (so I can pay attention to, and hear their growth and maturity over time). "Fuil Arsa," "Infernal Summer," and "Here I Am King" all call to mind strong mid-paced black metal. Full-on screeching vox with sparsely placed clean singing (which is where A.A.N. Nemtheanga - yes, that's his name - brings to mind doomy gothic bands like My Dying Bride) complement fairly standard swirling guitar rhythms. "The Darkest Flame" changes the pace of the album a bit, slowing down further and incorporating some nice spoken word passages that continue the Pagan(?) themes prevalent throughout the album. The 'quiet' doesn't last long, as "The Fires..." is one of the more ferocious tracks on the disc, both lyrically and musically. Yes, the more I listen to that song, the more I like it. "Mealltach" is a skip track, but "Let the Sun Set on Life Forever" is gorgeous, beautifully haunting and scary at the same time. By far the strongest track on the album, one can tell that Primordial spent some time listening to the early 90s black metal masters before jumping in the studio to record this one. The sheer emotion of the song gives you shivers! All in all, this is far from a subpar release; it's just not anything groundbreaking. It's a fair debut, and I am planning on following their growth through future albums, but if you're new to black metal, this might not be the greatest place to start..."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1