Primal is a one man Black Metal band from Poland. His previous offerings have been 2 EPs and a third of a split called “Chapel of Fear” earlier in 2011.
Like any form of art, Black Metal needs to come from within. “Deathzone” has this quality. To begin we’re subjected to a full-on assault in the form of “Angel’s Hatred”, which is just that. Sinister sounds creep around a thoroughly malignant, direct and yet melodic piece of blackness. A sense of isolation tends to accompany these one person Black Metal outfits, and this is the case here. The momentum is maintained with “The Wrath of the God”. Steadier and darker, it is surrounded by an enveloping black fog of deep guitar leads and blast beats, and captured by the hissing, whispering vocals. The guitar work and the track as a whole are quite varied as well as evil. The gruesome experience continues with the title track “Deathzone”. The guitar work is flamboyant throughout and seems to be signalling a warning amid a deeply layered undercurrent. A deathly message is preached. A strength is the breadth of sound on this album. Interesting and of good quality, it’s broadened out so that the guitars sound large and turbulent.
I like the fact that PrimalOne, as our man calls himself, doesn’t go for gimmicks but creates mostly lively rhythms, and then surrounds them with well-instrumented evil. This is how “Book of revelation” is. The drum work here is frenetic and leads us through the minefield. A moment is taken to take us through what sounds like an insect-infected swamp that is “The Prophecy”, and then it’s back to the insistent dark horror of “Liars”. The repetitively low range guitar and drum strains signal the threat. Deep and rumbling, it comes from the earth’s core and brings fire with it. A chaotic whirlwind surrounds the supreme control. Structurally “Liars” is for me the most impressive track on the album. To end, “Son of the Morning” starts acoustically in mellower mode, but this is fleeting. Although chaos is frequently threatened, it is never violent. Of course the sounds of evil emerge from the bowels of the earth, and hammering drums are the foil for a combination of Black Metal fury and angst. No quarter is given to happiness. You’ll not find this here or anywhere else on the album. We are left to ponder the smouldering fury and stench which the instrumentals and vocals bring to this album. It ends in dark, ominous and shadowy fashion. Finally the winds die down.
PrimalOne makes his statement and makes it effectively on “Deathzone”. This is a good and interesting Black Metal work.
www.myspace.com/theprimalband
Andrew Doherty
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