Call it Viking Metal, Folk Metal, Pagan Metal, or Black Metal...it matters not really, as this veteran Irish extreme metal band known as Primordial have been cranking out the goods for over a decade now, surprisingly though you never really hear much about them. That might all change with the release of their latest To the Nameless Dead, a surging collection of captivating songs that reek of class, professionalism, maturity, power, and conviction. Their previous release The Gathering Wilderness was an apocalyptic, dramatic, and atmospheric work, but here on To the Nameless Dead the band has reached down deep inside and unearthed a seething cauldron of sonic magnificance that ultimately makes it pointless to try and classify.
There is a bleakness that permeates each and every song here, but make no mistake about it, this is no doom album. The epic scope of "As Rome Burns", "Failures Burden", "Gallows Hymn", and "No Nation On This Earth" invokes images of Into the Pandemonium era Celtic Frost, classic Immortal, and the folk/thrash metal of Skyclad or Sabbat. Rippling guitar work, crashing rhythms, and the effective rasp of lead singer A.A. Nemtheanga all combine for a truly crushing yet majestic sound that captures the attention of the listener and refuses to let go. The interesting thing here is that you can actually feel the Celtic & folk influences despite there not being much in the way of acoustic instruments used, save for on a few tracks and especially the bombastic "Heathen Tribes". The band has a certain symphonic, folky edge that only adds to the uniqueness factor, and A.A. Nemtheanga's commanding vocal presence is the icing on the cake. Any doubt of the immense power of this outfit only need listen to the raging "Traitors Gate", a relentless black metal feast led by the pummeling blast beats from S.O. Macamlaigh and the tasty riffing courtesy of C. Macauilliam & M. O. Floinn.
I could sit here all day and try to pick this one apart note by note, but in the end you'll have to hear it yourself to really be sucked in by the power and majesty of it all. To the Namess Dead is easily one of 2007's best metal releases.
Track Listing
1. Empire Falls
2. Gallows Hymn
3. As Rome Burns
4. Failures Burden
5. Heathen Tribes
6. The Rising Tide
7. Traitors Gate
8. No Nation On This Earth
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