In recent weeks we’ve written about two up-and-coming Irish black-metal bands — Wound Upon Wound and Eternal Helcaraxe. But today we have the pleasure of providing for your aural delectation a new track from Primordial — arguably Ireland’s finest black/folk band. The song is called “Bloodied Yet Unbowed”. It’s from their new album Redemption At the Puritan’s Hand, which is scheduled for release on April 26 by Metal Blade. It will be the band’s first album in four years.
Here’s what Primordial’s vocalist Alan “Nemtheanga” Averill has said about the album:
“Expectations, my friends, expectations! Yes, it contains rabble-rousers and hooks and choruses, memorable themes and dynamics but also it has darkness in spades. It has grit, filth and foreboding. Dark sweeping tragedy as always mixed with blood stirring defiance!
“The recording, of course, was booked during what has turned out to be one of the worst winters in living memory in Europe. Leaving Ireland at -15 to travel to a -20 Wales, trudging through feet of snow, slipping on black ice and basically having our bollix frozen off for three weeks left me thinking next time I’m going to record in the Bahamas and fake all this grimness. For good measure, I got what looking back must have been swine flu recording the vocals. In fact, some I can’t remember recording, I was so out of my head on painkillers and energy drinks. Suffering for your art is overrated, believe me.”
That may be so, but if suffering is what it takes to create a song like “Bloodied Yet Unbowed”, then more bands must suffer. (more after the jump . . . including a link to the song)
To paraphrase my collaborator BadWolf, who brought this new song to my attention, Primordial understand better than most bands the tasteful use of melancholy; the primary emotion of their music is sorrow. As I listen to this song, I hear anguish but also defiance.
Unfortunately, I can’t embed the song player here. But this is THE LINK to a player that will allow you to hear it. “Give me one thing to live or die for . . .”
8 Responses to “PRIMORDIAL: BLOODIED YET UNBOWED”
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Fuck. Worst day ever to forget my headphones in the car. Very excited about the new Primordial, even got tickets to the release party, :]
..and now I finally registered and picked out a nice little icon!
Cool icon! I’m envious about you going to that release party, too. Should be a very big smile.
I went to the release party of “To the Nameless Dead” too, that time in Dublin. That show is in the top 3 of best shows I have ever been to. (Together with Gojira at Roskilde, and Rotting Christ at Wacken)
Now I’m REALLY jealous. However, I am at least finally getting the chance to see Rotting Christ for the first time (with Melechesh and Hate, among others) on March 25. I am beyond excited. Gojira’s 2008 performance as a support act for In Flames in Seattle is in my Top 3 best shows. Now if only Primordial would visit . . .
Rotting Christ and Melechesh are playing here tonight, haven’t decided if I’m going or not yet. Haven t really listened to Rotting Christ since “Triarchy of the Lost Lovers” and Melechesh’s last album was a bit of a disappointment. Anybody know how much old material either band play live?
The most recent Rotting Christ setlist I’ve found was for a show in Greece on Jan 15:
Orders From The Dead
Aealo
Demonon Vrosis
After Dark I Feel
Forest of n’Gai
Athanati Este
King of A Stellar War
Noctis Era
Archon
Fire, Death And Fear
Dub-sag-ta-ke
The Sign of Evil Existence
Nemecic
Non Serviam
Nothing yet for the US tour.
With Nile Melechesh didn’t go any further back than Sphynx (I don’t think) but it was pretty even between Emissaries and the new one otherwise. The new one works better live though, even though I found it a little bit of a let-down on record.
I still haven’t seen Rotting Christ. This makes me sad. Although I did just get the shony 2DVD/2CD box of Non Serviam: 20 Years set today!