ALBUM REVIEW: Exile Amongst The Ruins – Primordial
PRIMORDIAL enter into their 27th year and boast their ninth release in the form of Exile Amongst The Ruins. After such a lengthy career, and some truly stellar work, can the band keep up their high standards on this latest record?
Kicking off with Nail Their Tongues, singing bells and haunting strings oven a melodic intro that instils an instant atmosphere. The song kicks off into a barrage of deep melody, that tone and style is instantly recognisable. There’s a good level of pacing here, and the vocals are as distinctive as ever. The dynamic of this song is well paced, not giving away too much while leaving you ever so hungry for more.
Moving on to To Hell or the Hangman, the galloping guitars have an energy that leaves your hairs standing on end, it builds like an itch you can wait to tear at. They don’t leave you waiting long, as the meat of the song is truly great, it feels thick, bulky, fully loaded. Nemtheanga’s vocals as still top level, and his lyrics have a truth to them that feels honest and thought-out. It’s incredibly thematic and proves a mastery of ideas that the band want to explore.
Where Lie the Gods takes that folk sound that resonates so much with PRIMORDIAL and really elevates it. Beautiful riffs wash over you like a rush of water. There’s an ever-ethereal quality to this album already, and it’s a huge relief that the band have so much eminence in their work after such a lengthy career. The ebb and flow of the song is so grounded, it feels like something you know in your soul, that’ always been there. The story telling and themes, along with such musicianship is a delight. Title track Exile Amongst the Ruins is yet another fresh and inspired song. The brilliant thing with PRIMORDIAL is that no matter their skill and prowess, the real power comes from the way they build on their music. An idea, a spark slowly unfolds into something stunning and huge, and it can take you by surprise just how you got to such a place. Nothing is compromised, each track is its own journey, crafted and designed in the most natural of ways. The smaller sections of this song, the quiet that feels like a breath before the climax, is a fine example of what this band are all about.
While there is no overall thematic idea here, there is definitely a flow and a musical narrative that you can feel throughout the album. Upon Our Spiritual Deathbed is as sombre as you’d imagine. Soft guitars echo like a memory. Drums roll like a funeral march. You’re allowed to dwell in this space, this melancholy, and once again the dynamic rises the tone and the atmosphere in such incremental steps you’ll be hard pressed to not be overcome. It can never be stated enough how much harmony this band has- over the years they have truly made something incredible as a team. No one member supersedes the others, they work so well as this unit to bring forth some of the best Black Metal of the past two decades. The simplicity of Upon Our Spiritual Deathbed is the key to its greatness. In the melody are so many angles the band can take it, and in doing so create a track that doesn’t feel like it stagnates at any point.
Another strong start for the track Stolen Years, all the energy is very much trickled out on stoic guitars and primal drums. It’s a moment to reflect, and to compose. PRIMORDIAL have an incredible sound that is so distinctive, not just vocally but in their musical tone overall, and it’s great to experience the might and tenderness of that here. The emotion on this particular track most assuredly comes from the music itself, there’s very little in the way of vocals for the most part.
Sunken Lungs takes that moments breath from Stolen Years, and true to form removes the damn to unleash the might of another highly energetic song. This album is interesting, while there is no doubt this is PRIMORDIAL, it’s a record that clearly exemplified that the band have looked at themselves, looked at the work they have produced, and while still build upon it, have taken steps to bring out moments that feel very much like their starting material. You get a true feeling of joy on this track, it’s an utterly uplifting experience, from the bluesy riffs, to the intricate drumming and that belting voice.
The final track is a ten-and-a-half-minute epic going by the name of Last Call. Never a band to leave an album on a weak point, this is a pinnacle of all the best moments on this hugely impressive album. The pacing, the barrage of sound, the primal energy and the timeless vibes all amount to a superb track. Every track feels like a piece greater narrative, with all the songs never interfering with each other but rather becoming the interlinking amalgamation to something as climactic as this. You’ll be pondering the great intricacies of this track, and the album as a whole, for many more listens to come.
It’s been four years since we had a PRIMORDIAL album, and it’s been worth the wait. The band have taken their sound, and simultaneously brought it back to the roots of what makes them great, while still injecting in a new least of life and energy not often found in an album this far into a career. The ethereal and primal tones are beautiful, while the lyrics and melodies create a feeling of higher thought, all proving that PRIMORDIAL still earn the right to be heralded as such veterans of the metal world.
Rating: 9/10
Exile Amongst The Ruins is out now via Metal Blade Records.
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