Primordial – How It Ends (Review)

Primordial are an Irish metal band and this is their tenth album.

Primordial are a reliably enjoyable band that found a voice of their own early on in their career. They have some top quality albums, the most recent of which was 2018’s Exile Amongst the Ruins. Playing a blackened form of heavy metal and doom, new album How It Ends delivers 66 minutes of Primordial’s inimitable material.

Primordial have well and truly mastered their own individual style some time ago, and How It Ends is a great example of the band’s potency. How It Ends finds Primordial’s more aggressive tendencies somewhat in their ascendancy, but is also still steeped in their emotive and melodic prowess. Overall, the songs showcase the full gamut of the band’s range and scope.

These new songs sound bigger and bolder, with an expansive and detailed sound that Primordial exploit to the maximum. Angry, but also full of melancholy, these well-crafted songs are exemplars of the Primordial style. They channel classic heavy metal and first wave black metal into doom-influenced soundscapes of epic scope. Somehow they manage to do this while carefully balancing atmospheric depth with catchy hooks, a rare feat for any band, but one that Primordial seem to do with ease.

How It Ends offers a thoroughly satisfying record to explore. Full of emotion and mood-building, while still having plenty of metallic kick, this new album finds Primordial in top form.

Very highly recommended.