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PRIMEVAL REALM
Primordial Light

Pure Steel (2014)
Rating: 7/10

Emerging from the woods of New Jersey, doom metallers Primeval Realm finally release their debut opus, following a trio of impressive demos which circulated on the metal underground.

The quartet, fronted by guitarist Joe Potash, are one of only a handful to appear on the Pure Steel Records roster, but I believe the company have made the right choice in signing this Trenton-based bunch. The band also consists of bassist Reed Thomas, drummer Mike White and keyboardist Brian Leahy, although Potash has also tampered with other instruments on the album.

Primeval Realm can best be described as a solid, no frills doom metal band who remind me of the early 90s when a number of bands of this ilk were squirming their way through the scene, high on Black Sabbath’s influence (which seems obvious with so many doom metal bands). Potash’s vocals are stark in their bellowing, hinting at the majestic as he hollers tales of mysticism over grey waves of sombre drums and plodding guitars.

After the first brief introductory instrumental, ‘A Primeval Realm’, the band lurch into the cumbersome drones of ‘Black Flames & Shadows’, which is pure doom metal right down to the bones. It runs for over eight minutes and makes no attempt to diversify, but instead does a tidy job of evoking a Saint Vitus-style menace.

As one would expect from a doom metal band there is a distinct lack of pace, but the nodding pace isn’t really a negative aspect as Primeval Realm seem quite happy to trudge along yet rarely do they bore. The misery continues with the monolithic glug of ‘Electric Knowledge’. Potash barks “Convinced there’s a black cloud above me, all that none but I can see” over an orderly storm-ridden riff, which leads along the bass nicely into the darker depths. It’s here where the band seem at their most comfortable, not becoming lost in overlong segments that could tend to meander into the mundane. The riff is a tad generic, the sort we’ve heard time and time again within this genre, but again, I still hear something on this album that suggests a band with a lot of potential.

‘Galaxy Lifter’ is a seven-minute instrumental that lumbers in its existence, but hints at those “stoner” qualities with its 70s-styled traditional rock riffs and solos and sprig of orchestration. Again, the band succumb to the fact that the track is way too long, but all is forgiven when ‘Heavy Is This Mind’ comes out of the traps. Although bereft of gloom initially, it chugs along with a bony bass and benefits from Potash’s ominous bark, bringing to mind the stark styles of The Obsessed combined with a Sabbath-esque drudgery.

The threatening skies continue with ‘Night Of The Wolfmoon’, which – as expected by now – offers another gloomy chug and Sabbath-styled dramatics and eerie clangs before drifting into the chorus of, “Night of the wolf moon, Transformation complete, Dreams of the arcane, Transformation diseased”, which is delivered with gothic aplomb, hinting at Candlemass.

Although rarely wistful or multi-layered, Primeval Realm’s debut block of blackness provides mild entertainment and has the quality of an imminent storm. With ‘Primordial Light… Departure’, there is certainly a suggestion of the band branching out into more experimental realms. I hope this is something they take into account for their next release, because while more than able to judder us with stony yawns of aching doom, the all too rare injections of flutes etc. make for a welcoming surprise amidst the grey.

While not the most innovative or bone-trembling doom metal you’ll hear, Primordial Light hints at better things to come from a band who I’ve taken an instant liking to.

Neil Arnold

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