Primordial – How It Ends
Reviewed By: Dennis van ‘t Hoofd
Review Score: 9.0
After Thin Lizzy, pagan metal band Primordial are probably the best known metal band from Ireland. The band centered around singer Alan Averill and main songwriter Ciáran MacUiliam have steadily worked their way up since their inception in 1992.
With How It Ends they release their tenth studio album. Primordial are known for their epic and dark doom-laden black and pagan metal, mainly drawing their influences from Bathory’s Hammerheart and Twilight Of The Gods, but with their own Irish twist. Influences of Irish folk music have always been present in Primordial’s music.
The century long oppression by British rule and the religious conflicts in Ireland is reflected in traditional Irish folk music, which often conveys a sense of tragedy and suffering, in a way only Irish people can express. In true Irish fashion, How It Ends is dedicated to those resisting oppressing empires, the freedom fighters, the outlaws and those who gave their lives for freedom of speech and independence or the most important word in English language, Liberty.
The ten tracks on How It Ends pose a question and give the listener something to think about. They are dramatic and sometimes even romantic Irish rebel songs, singing about heroes from the Irish Easter Rising from 1916 eventually leading to the Irish independence from British rule. Six to eight minute songs like ‘Ploughs To Rust, Swords, To Dust, ‘Pilgrimage To The World’s End’ or the title track ‘How It Ends’ show that the now four-piece from Dublin (long time guitarist Micheál O’Floinn has left the band) are masters at their craft with great songwriting rebellious lyrics and epic and emotional vocals. With the cover version of ‘Traidistunta’ of Irish seventies folk band The Bothy Band pay tribute to their Irish heritage and with ‘Call To Cernunnos’ Primordial revisit their pagan origins.
Primordial do not disappoint with their tenth album ‘How It Ends’ and I sure hope this is not how it ends for our favorite Irish metal band!
How It Ends is available now via Metal Blade Records.