Primordial

Today, I was listening to Priestess and didn't really know what to switch to once I was tired of them. I unknowingly happened upon something really special when I decided to just choose what was closest by.

Before you could blink, Primordial's The Gathering Wilderness was playing in my headphones while I idly played flash games in my period aiding for Mr. Collins (he never gives me work). Primordial efficiently produces a sound that I am always looking for and eager to hear more of. I'm hesitant to call it 'folk metal', even though it has heavy celtic folk influences, because of what the term suggests. When I think of folk metal, I think of sugary sickening sweet stuff like Ensiferum, Turisas, or Vintersorg, which are all on the upbeat side. They're not really my style; I was never really into all of the war chants and uplifting choruses that want to sound like an army of bearded raiders on their way to an honorable battle (and victory). I think it's interesting that the music would lead you to believe that the Vikings fought for honor and to protect their people and way of life, when they really just raped, pillaged, and murdered most of the time. The only time they had an honest battle was when retaliation was on the way.

Anyway, enough of the history, let's get back to the metal. Primordial has a musical aesthetic that, however rare, is present in a handful of bands that I've had the pleasure of hearing. It's definitely folky, but I would rather describe it as 'heathen folk', as it has nothing to do with Vikings. In addition, it has more of a morose and nostalgic feel to it. In this way, they have a much more epic and thick sound. It doesn't use crappy gimmicks like the odd flute or violin that are utilized many too many times and almost never effectively, but just has a very straightforward sound reminiscent of Wolves in the Throne Room, but doesn't try as hard and succeeds more. Like Wolves, there's a dash of black metal thrown in, but not enough to call it a black metal band.

If you're into anything like Agalloch, Wolves in the Throne Room, or Negura Bunget, this is very worth checking out.