Primordial

While the British Isles gave birth to black metal in the form of England's Venom, it took a while for the farthest reaches of the islands to join the fray. It was 1987 when Pól MacAmhlaigh (along with his brother D. on drums) and Ciarán MacUiliam formed PRIMORDIAL in Skerries, on the outskirts of Dublin. Initially going by the name Forsaken, they, like a lot of bands formed by teenagers during the 1980s, were just about passion and paying homage to the bands that inspired them. These early years were lean years, with covers of thrash and death metal bands like Slayer, Metallica, Sepultura, and Death serving as their lifeblood.

The end of the eighties saw the death metal explosion begin to influence Forsaken/Primordial's sound (they specifically cite Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Pestilence), but they still lacked a reliable full-time vocalist. This changed in the early nineties with the recruiting of Alan Averill. Averill--who goes by the stage name Nemtheanga--was hugely knowledgeable of the extreme metal underground. This led to a seismic change in the band's orientation. This was also the around the time where the band changed their name to Primordial.

The classic "To Enter Pagan" originally appeared on their '93 demo

In 1993, Primordial had managed to scrape together enough money to put out a demo, the now-classic Dark Romanticism. With a rather well-produced sound for a demo, Dark Romanticism not only wears its old-school black and death metal influences on its sleeve (you can definitely hear Bathory and Celtic Frost in their songwriting), but there is a darker, doomier edge to it, courtesy of these Irishmen's obsession with doom metal pioneers Candlemass.

This demo led to a lot of courting from underground metal labels, like Candlelight, Peaceville, and Unisound, but not much happened. Luckily, Dani Filth (of Cradle of Filth) pushed his label, Cacophonous Records, to sign these evil Irish upstarts. After the release of a live demo in 1994, Primordial signed with Cacophonous. The result of this union was their first studio album, Imrama.

1995's Imrama is the source of "Infernal Summer"

While continuing the sound of Romanticism, Imrama also began to showcase folkier elements that clearly drew from Irish culture. This, then, would become the hallmark of Primordial's sound over the years. But some major changes were to come before the band soldiered on with their sound.

In 1997, they underwent some major personnel changes, recruiting a new drummer and a second guitarist. This, combined with the signing to a new label (Misanthropy Records) lent a sense of urgency to Primordial's new phase. As Nemtheanga himself notes, the band did not feel ready when they entered the studio to record the follow-up to Imrama. Yet the masterpiece that resulted does not sound like a band unprepared.

"Autumns Ablaze" is classic Primordial (from 98's Journey's End)

1998's A Journey's End is a brilliant masterpiece that still bears the mark of the black metal foundation Primordial carved in the early 90s, all the while crafting something wholly new. The songs began to take on a sweeping, epic feel that not only have an occultic black metal aura to them, but the folk elements are even more pronounced. Also, by Nemtheanga's own admission, his interest in historical and cultural topics led to lyrics that moved beyond Satan worship and pagan occult themes. This album formed the template for what Primordial would do on the next several albums.

Following Journey, Primordial sought to spread their name far and wide by touring, all while having to deal with yet more label trouble. Misanthropy Records folded, but Primordial landed with esteemed underground label Hammerheart Records, where they would put out three solid albums (1999's The Burning Season MCD, 2000's Spirit the Earth Aflame, and 2002's Storm Before Calm).

Following the collapse of yet another record label, Primordial signed with Metal Blade Records. This marked the beginning of a new era for the Irishmen. 2005's The Gathering Wilderness was a mature, sober offering from Primordial that caught the attention of a wider audience than ever before. Its 2007 follow-up, To the Nameless Dead, is arguably the band's magnum opus, and elevated them to new heights.

2005's "The Coffin Ships" might be Primordial's best-known song

2007's "Empire Falls", on the other hand, might be their best, period

For the black metal purist, Dark Romanticism is a true second wave classic that simply must be heard. For those who want to see all that black metal has to offer, and revel at the creative direction bands can take, they should seek out some of Primordial's more recent work.

Select Discography:

Dark Romanticism (demo) (1993)

Demo '94 (demo) (1994)

Imrama (full-length album) (1995)

A Journey's End (full-length album) (1998)
The Burning Season MCD (1999)

Spirit the Earth Aflame (full-length album) (2000)

Storm Before Calm (full-length album) (2002)

The Gathering Wilderness (full-length album) (2005)
To The Nameless Dead (full-length album)  (2007)

Next time: CRADLE OF FILTH