With their 9th album in a whopping 27 year career, Irelands Primordial return with increasing relevance in a polarized world. Quite how they manage to create stunning album after stunning album defies belief, but here they are again with a unique blend of celtic folk and black metal, weaving truly epic tales of history seemingly with ease.
Other than their folk influences, what really sets Primordial apart from their shrieking BM peers is Alan Averill's ability to sing with power and conviction. With melancholic themes of the rise and fall of empires, the hubris of individuals in power and the turning vicissitudes of history, Primordial transport the listener right there in the ebb and flow of their sweeping riffs and rabble-rousing drumming. Opener 'Nail Their Tongues', 'Where Lie The Gods' and the skittering 'Sunken Lungs' with all it's misty atmosphere are examples of what Primordial do best. But it's the subtle left hand turns that will get fans salivating. Bereft of guitar distortion, the driving pace of the second song 'To Hell Or The Hangman' never lets up urging the storys drama to it's cathartic climax - and the unexpected 'Stolen Years' is an affecting ballad that sees Alan on top form performance.
Warning of the perils of revisionist history, the haunting title tracks melancholic instrumentation lingers in memory and while it has Primordial at their most disappointed, it also proves the highlight of the album. Performances as consistent as this deserve for the album to be a high contender of end of the year lists, but it's never like primordial to be in the glittering spotlight. They are the voice of reason exiled to the wind but their songs are treasured in the hearts who listen.
9/10 - Michael Randall