The Top 10 Metal of 2011 - #8

A cab collects us from 17th Street and dumps us in the distant past, to a time where the Celts ruled with iron hands over their Emerald dominion...

#8
Primordial - Redemption at the Puritan's Hand

To be quite honest; I’ve always heard of Primordial but never paid any mind to them (in my incalculable folly); until a chance spin of one of their promo tracks in my car alerted me to their indomitable presence. It was one of those “Where have these guys been all my life” moments mixed with a sense of incredulity that I’d been foolish enough to only superficially hear them until presently. Nevertheless, Primordial’s inimitable sense of dense texture and dogged resistance to the lock down of riff manufacturing radiates outward in Redemption, evoking a proud and fervent sense of the arcane Celtic highlands. Careworn fingers can be heard sliding across strings and raw throated laments only serve to heighten the appeal of their chilling brand of black metal. There aren’t many records that can transport you to another time that only few have stood and watched, but Primordial are undoubted masters at whittling down at your conscious soul until you’re no longer tied to the present, sweeping you away with their despondent odes.

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The Top 10 of 2011