Solo Over Substance
I'll let this review start with an extract from the band's own website home page; "This album delivers some of the most ball-breaking riffs and guitar lead that any mortal this side of hell has heard in a long time. Influence by many of the greatest heavy metal bands ever. None of that bullshit metal that little emo kids weep over." Big words from a band based in Sandhurst, especially as their next gig was at the 'Tumbledown Dick' in Farnborough.
As I was trying to decide if Farnborough was the nub of cutting edge metal I tried to decipher the band's logo. Honestly, it's un-readability puts some black metal bands to shame. The first track 'Army of Darkness' has a lot of pressure on its shoulders. Let's not forget it's going to contain '…some of the most ball-breaking riffs and guitar lead that any mortal this side of hell has heard in a long time.' Unfortunately the shoulders are as broad as a coke bottle and the whole literary build up comes crashing down like collapsed chimney. What Primitai actually deliver is good intentioned under cooked metal. This is perhaps an unfair statement because Primitai are a band still gaining experience and their own sound. Song-writing, like most skills, is something that is improved over time, and I'm sure the band will improve, but for the mean time 'Through The Gates Of Hell' will have to be considered as a building block.
This release is a great example of a band that have the solo/harmony break absolutely nailed. The shredding and axe work right across this album is wonderful. 'Destroyers,' and 'Lights Out' especially, are great examples of superb musicianship and hard work. They are reminiscent of early Maiden and Priest, very melodic, catchy and well structured. As a guitar player I was in 7th heaven, but it felt like the excellent solos were at the expense of the actual song. It's as if they came up with the lead break and then fitted any old toss around it. In 'Death Hammer' the band have launched into the solo break after only one minute and fifty seconds. As good as the solos are, there does seem a mentality of 'let's get the verse and chorus out of the way so we can start soloing because that's the best bit of the song'.
The riffs are fairly basic and sound recycled from the early 80s. 'Primitillian Man's main riff after the clean start (with solo) is simply woeful and 'Rockin in Hell' starts with a basic chord progression with…yup you guessed it, a solo over the top. As I've said before, all these solos are great but they'll only get you so far. The riffs are shoddy and as for Graham Christie's vocals, well, it sounds like he's trying too hard. They're really poor and let the songs down even further. He sounds like a guitarist filling in the vocalist spot until they can get a permanent member. Not only does his gruff voice sound unconvincing, but he sings some of the daftest lyrics I've ever heard, it's not a good combination.
Maybe I'm taking the band too seriously, any band that has a song called 'Rockin in Hell' has to be larking about, surely? I'm not sure, I'm still in two minds. It's obvious the band can play, and they'd probably rock up a storm on stage with the twin axe attack. But the actual songs themselves are shoddy, the vocals unsuitable and the production needs to be bigger. There's a lot of work that needs to be done in these areas. If they put as much work into them as they did their solos then Primitai would be a band everyone would take notice of.