Primordial - How it Ends (2023)

Always consistently good, Primordial releases are special happenings that take a few years to materialize and a more than several dozen spins to really digest. With “How it Ends” the band continues their ritualistic ways of Doomy and Blackened Celtic Metal. Featuring sixty-five minutes of music spread out in ten tracks, the band shows great refinement and direction with their music. Enchanting and fully immersing the listener since the first minute, this release is another excellent addition to the band’s storied career.

Opening with the album title track, we get a very doomy and decadent mood. Ciáran MacUiliam’s guitars create the distinctive Primordial sound while also having some elements of bands like My Dying Bride baked into the mix. However, we all know that the soul of the band has to be the melancholic vocals of Alan Averill, which perfectly craft a very moody vibe as tracks like “Plougs to Rust, Swords to Dust”, “We Shall Not Serve”, and “Traidisiunta” perfectly mix styles and genres.

Mastering that mid-tempo cadence that intoxicates the listener, Primordial effortlessly belts out moody classics like “Pilgrimage to the World’s End”, “Nothing New Under the Sun”, and the folkier “Call to Cernunnos”. For those looking for more unique pieces, “All Against All” has a more decadent edge, while the closer “Victory Has 1000 Fathers, Defeat is an Orphan” mixes the band’s signature style with more atmospheric and experimental elements after its first half.

Overall, Primordial continues to show class and elegance in this release. The band’s style has been consolidated since early on in their career and only small tweaks and additions have been needed over the years. That being said, their releases are always engaging and fresh, never feeling like more of the same, and this is one of the reasons why the band is so special. If you like a powerful release filled with moody tracks and very well crafted arrangements, look no further and pick up a copy of “How it Ends”.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: September 29th, 2023

Genre: Celtic Black/Doom Metal

Country: Ireland