Primordial – Gods To The Godless

This is more than just a live album from Pagan metallers Primordial. The unharnessed emotional intensity could be used for a super hero motion film soundtrack. The eighty minutes long Gods To The Godless opus will be available via Metal Blade Records on November 25th 2016. Their set was recorded at the prestigious  Bang Your Head festival in Germany 2015 and features no overdubs.

Formed in Skerries, County Dublin, Northern Ireland by bassist Pol MacAmlaigh and guitarist Ciaran MacUilliam in 1987, they have forged a heavy path paved with eight studio albums culminating in this live double album. Opener ‘Gods To The Godless’ sets the bar high with a call to arms spoken word intro from AA Nemtheanga (Alan Averill) who leads the band like a General, rather than just a lead vocalist. A melodic wall of riffs topped off by a chest beating vocal delivery are followed by a shift of rhythms that turn and twist in a fist clenching mid section.

‘Babel’s Tower’, one of three tracks taken from their last studio album Where Greater Men Have Fallen  has intense slow burning riffs that are backed by tribal drum patterns from Simon O’Laoghaire giving it a similarity of a tolling bell. ‘Where Greater Men Have Fallen’ has a main riff like a slower ‘Witching Hour’ by Venom as the band head off into a musical tour de force with the lyrics belted out with one hundred per cent conviction. ‘No Grave Deep Enough’ is a breathtaking rush of crushing metal with the band’s Celtic influences shining through.

The mini drum solo intro of ‘As Rome Burns’ precedes clubbing dynamics interspersed with swathes of riffs as Alan fires up the crowd with the song building into an avalanche of riffs.  The Devilish first half of ‘The Alchemist’s Head’ morphs into a pounding midsection with sparse riffs as Alan vents his rage. ‘Bloodied Yet Unbowed’ begins with a brooding groove that gives way to a drum dominated full throttle rush to the finish line. ‘The Coffin Ships’ is a masterclass of emotions from Alan with the guitars intertwining with his pleas.

Bombastic drumming during ‘Heathen Tribes’ propel it along into a crunching headbanging number with Alan rallying the audience as it closes with an uptempo Celtic feel. ‘Wield Lightning To Split The Sun’ is introduced as a “Pagan anthem”, another chest beating epic. ‘Empire Falls’ ,the album and set closer is my personal highlight. It is truly over the top with searing riffs and ground shaking double bass drumming. The Slayer like instrumental midsection will have you reaching for your air guitar.

Album track listing :-

Gods To The Godless.

Babel’s Tower.

Where Greater Men Have Fallen.

No Grave Deep Enough.

As Rome Burns.

The Alchemist’s Head.

Bloodied Yet Unbowed.

The Coffin Ships.

Heathen Tribes.

Wield Lightning To Split The Sun.

Empire Falls.

Primordial band line up :-

AA Nemtheanga (Alan Averill) – Lead vocals.

Ciaran MacUilliam – Guitars.

Micheal O’Floinn – Guitars.

Pol MacAmlaigh – Bass guitar.

Simon O’Laoghaire – Drums.