ALBUM REVIEW: Primeval – Venom Prison

Bands that are under a decade old generally are still finding their feet in the industry. Few manage to become firmly established in the scene and be considered heavyweights to their genre. Death metallers VENOM PRISON are one of the ones who slipped through the net with no struggle. Their two full-length albums Animus (2016) and Samsara (2019) have secured them a spot in fans record collections all over the globe, not to mention their high-profile live shows. Their latest album, Primeval, goes further back and revisits their EPs, Defy The Tyrant and Primal Chaos alongside two brand new songs.

For a lot of bands, the decision to revisit and rework albums can come decades down the line with the advancement of studio technology. VENOM PRISON might seem to be attacking this early, but the idea makes perfect sense. As you look back to a bands earlier career, you’ll notice that through the years they’ll have picked up new skills, new approaches to attacking things such as recording processes to achieve the best possible sound that they have in mind, and to want to pack that new-found punch into the roots is always a recipe for great things.

What’s noticeable when Primeval opens up is the more refined sound, something that VENOM PRISON had already achieved prior, but this just takes it up another notch and serves as a reminder why this band hit great heights so early on. Ignoring the two new songs on the album for a moment, hearing the sharpness and bite from earlier songs such as Path of Exile, Defy The Tyrant and Narcotic, it thrusts you back into the past with that new excitement of having a fresh death metal band joining the scene, but it also gives a glimpse to the future and exposes you to the level of how much they have developed individually and collectively.

As VENOM PRISON jump from the past, again, they offer fans a taste of what is to come from them in the future with their two brand new songs, Defiant to the Will of God and Slayer of Holofernes. It’s here where the maturity they have been working on comes to light in the truest form. Getting to hear the strengths the band have reached when reworking their older material is one thing, but then putting the old next to the new and seeing just how they’ve grown as a band is another. If this is what they have been working on and striving towards in their future as VENOM PRISON, then this cements the fact they aren’t going to be kicked off their ladder to becoming one of the death metal titans.

Considering they’ve only been a band for half a decade and this is what they have achieved, it’s astonishing to say the least. Hearing how they’ve adapted and worked with what they’ve picked up as they’ve become more established is a highlight in what they will bring to the table as they continue to grow. Just like everything else they have released, Primeval is a record that bulldozes everything in its path and marks another story to their success. This album is a glimpse into the future for the band and shows everything is set to get a whole lot louder and heavier for fans of VENOM PRISON and the death metal genre.

Rating: 8/10

Primeval is set for release on October 9th via Prosthetic Records. 

For more information on VENOM PRISON like their official page on Facebook.