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Primal: Obłęd

18/02/14 || cadenz

When I get to know that a black metal outfit is a one-man-band, warning bells start to ring inside my vast and empty cranium. The echoes of these tolls resonate all the way to my rectum like harbingers of doom and build up a gargantuan sense of doubt: will this suck as much as most solo projects do, particularly in this genre? It’s funny how black metal, which should be the most individually laden of all metal styles, so often brings to the forefront glaring evidence of the several weaknesses encountered by one-man-bands, such as lack of second-opinion quality control, lack of variation and instrument-technical deficiencies (it’s hard to master all instruments, at least to a degree where you can contribute something of value on it and not just re-produce what others have done).

So what does all this have to do with Primal from Poland? Oh, you’re so clever with your deductions, Sherlock – Primal is a one-man black metal band! And I’m going to let you know if they…er…he suffers from the idiosyncrasies with which his chosen way of group composition is usually afflicted. In short: no, not really, but there are tendencies.

“Obłęd” is a 2012 release, consisting of an intro track and six primitive black metal songs clocking in at around five to eight minutes each. The production is gravelly and lo-mid-heavy, such as one would expect of an East-European BM release, but still surprisingly clear in instrument definition. We’re definitely not talking polished here, but the worst TRVE KVLT NEKRÖ tendencies of snake hissing and not much else have been thoroughly avoided. The songs themselves lean heavily on repetitive riffs, tempo and drum pattern changes, and a passionate vocal delivery.

The most prevalent tempos on the album are mid- to moderately high, with harsher two-beats and dissonant primal (eh, eh) riffs contrasted by soaring tremolo melodies with double kicks. Though the compositions are of decent quality and the stark contrasts certainly bring out more of the material, I’m lacking a little something extra. The riffs are a bit too standard to my liking, and especially the more primitive parts in different songs are very hard to discern from each other, thus diluting the songs’ individuality. Some parts are also repeated a little too long without variation, reducing their supposed hypnotic effect into a mere gasp-inducing wait. Maybe this is where another band member might have stepped up and said something? Some songs also end very abruptly, rendering my facial features in a stupid and confused state of “huh?”, and some riff transitions are plain awkward and not in time whatsoever. The second-opinion QC could’ve been of use here as well.

The growls/screams are of a gurgly mid-to-high-pitched variety, and of good quality. Even though discerning any kind of lyrical output is next to impossible, picking up the conviction and passion emanating from PrimalOne’s (yes, that’s his alias) vocal cords is an easy task.

All in all, the more melodious parts are what elevate Primal from boring to slightly above average. If you want comparisons, some kind of mix between a more primitive Lord Belial (without the flair, that is) and Mgła is the first thing that pops up in my mind. If you’re a big fan of black metal that isn’t too fancy, give Primal a go. They’re not too bad.

Information
Released: 2012
Label: Quid Est Veritas Productions
Website: Primal Bandcamp
Band
PrimalOne: all instruments, vocals

Tracklist
01. Genesis
02. …i wszystko było dobre
03. Próżnia
04. …i śmierci już nie będzie
05. Wojna
06. Jak groby otwarte
07. Egzorcyzm

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