(Below we present a review of the new album by the Irish band Primordial written by NCS contributor Didrik Mešiček.)
I’ve always found it a bit surprising that Ireland, given its significant influence on the rock scene, hasn’t really provided us with many well-known and successful metal bands. But there’s no denying Primordial have been one of the fiercest forces in the black metal spheres, and when you have a band like that not much else is needed.
The Irishmen will be releasing their 10th album, How It Ends, on September 29th on Metal Blade Records, five years after their previous album, Exile Amongst the Ruins.
Is this how it ends? This vague question is offered in the album’s titular opener “How It Ends” and it sets the tone for the entire album. As we’ve now grown accustomed to with the Irish quartet – and especially their vocalist, A. A. Nemtheanga – the album has a philosophical note coupled with some exquisite lyricism. After a typically long intro the song truly begins, somewhat ironically, with that very same question. “Is this how it ends?”
The song is an early highlight of the record and keeps the familiar Primordial sound but it’s angrier and more defiant than the band have been in some earlier releases. If this will be how it ends then let the album accompany us on that final battle — this is what the band seem to suggest in this near-eight-minute track that’s really brought to life by the chilling vocals of Nemtheanga.
If you’re one of those people who get bored by long songs this album might not be for you, as each of the first three songs are over seven minutes long. The feeling of dystopia is further expanded in “We Shall Not Serve” as the band seemingly stoically criticize the lack of true rebellion in today’s society. The piece features an interesting instrumental bit in the middle, as guitars induce a bit of a sense of dread before continuing into a more energetic and heavy rhythm again. If there’s a sic semper tyrannis song on this album, this is definitely it.
After an intermezzo, the album presents the second pre-released single, “Pilgrimage to the World’s End,” which is somewhat more brooding and grim than we’re used to from the band. When I first listened I wasn’t very impressed, but as is often the case, Primordial songs take some digesting to fully understand them and to appreciate the meaning behind them. While I’m still not completely in love with this track, I do really appreciate those emotional screams through which one can feel the pain of the people described in Primordial’s songs.
“Nothing New Under the Sun” has a soothing intro with a catchy melody and very rhythmical drums over which the vocals slowly escalate into a crescendo in an inviting manner. After the opener “How It Ends,” this is the second song that really gives me that indescribable feeling in my chest, due to which Primordial is such a special band to me, that feeling of profound sorrow that I’m somehow glad about.
With “Call to Cernunnos” the band show some of their Celtic and folky side and it actually begs the question, is this really a black metal album? I want to say no, but I also don’t know what else it is. The uniqueness of Primordial truly makes them hard to place and it’s one of the reasons they’re so significant even if they may not be one of the absolute biggest bands. Sadly, the album drops off here slightly as this song lacks a bit of the intensity and almost acts as a six-minute-long interlude which then turns into the rather odd “All Against All.”
This track is weirdly raw and seems poorly mixed. I don’t understand why the band made this decision as it feels out of place, and the simple drum beat doesn’t work with the vocals and the guitars. The song does, however, have a sinister, atmospheric part in the latter half in which Nemtheanga uses his voice to basically sound like a wizard performing a ritual. I guess that’s kind of cool.
The more I listen to How It Ends the more I realise the second half really is weaker, which I think is somewhat of a pattern with the band as they’ve started several albums, such as Where Greater Men Have Fallen and To the Nameless Dead, extremely well but then slightly dropped off. “Victory Has a Thousand Fathers, Defeat is an Orphan” is a stronger closing song, however, and speaks about our fleeting lives and features some lovely guitar work but most of all brings me back to my (the band’s) opening thought – is this how it ends?
At several points, this album reminded me of Anaal Nathrakh’s Forging Towards the Sunset – not due to its sound, of course, but due to the grim message of inevitable death. While the former presents true misanthropy and hopelessness, Primordial give us a fight and tell us that even if the destination is set in stone, the voyage shouldn’t be. Therefore, in Nemtheanga’s own words, the album is about “resisting the empires, the freedom fighters, the outlaws, the people who made suicidal stands for freedom of speech, or independence – or for the most important word in the English language: liberty.”
Despite the title, the band haven’t ended their journey yet and I’m certainly delighted about that. How It Ends takes us on a story of resistance spearheaded by the powerful and emotive vocal performance, which is supported well by guitars and drums. The album does suffer from being slightly inconsistent and certainly has its weak points, but overall it’s definitely a solid Primordial album that warns us against potential Orwellian threats against life and lets me once again ask this simple question – will this be how it ends? Only if we let it.
https://www.metalblade.com/primordial/
https://primordialofficial.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/primordialofficial
3 Responses to “PRIMORDIAL: “HOW IT ENDS””
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You missed the nod to Neo-Folk act Rome, Ploughs to Rust, Swords to Dust.
Hmm yes, I found the song with a similar title but it seems that’s where the similarity ends so I’m not really convinced this is intentional.
The nod to Rome is likely very deliberate, given Nemtheanga guested on a Rome album – the Lone Furrow.
The fact that this Rome album title refers to ploughing one own path (Lone Furrow) and that Rome has a song called “Swords To Rust, Hearts To Dust” on an earlier album are likely to have played at least a subconscious factor in the song writing process here.
That said, this is not a unique concept in folk-rock/metal. The tracks Warrior /
Throw Down the Sword from the classic 70s album Argus by Wishbone Ash reinforce how deeply such objects are commonly utilised as metaphors to reference human duality and the passing of time.
Given that the two vocalists/songwriters are absolutely acquainted with each other and clearly appreciate the others work. There is likely some cross-pollination going on here.