Primitai

Rise Again

Written by: EW on 07/11/2013 16:51:40

Primitai are a five-piece traditional heavy metal band from the south of England who have surprisingly been going for 10 years now in various forms. With "Rise Again" being their third full-length, it highlights the relative experience the band have now but also the lack of progress that has been made by those first two records, although having caught these guys live a couple of times now I have been impressed on both occasions with their energy and the extent to which a fairly predictable brand of metal translates from the stage. Now though, listening to them on record for the first time illuminates why further strides have not been made thus far.

From a positive perspective there is much to commend Primitai for. Vocalist Guy Miller has a confident and commanding set of pipes to compliment the image of strength he portrays live, and reminds me just a touch of Phil Anselmo in the "Cowboys From Hell" days. From the first notes of opener "Fortune Favours the Brave" the guitars of Srdjan Bilic and Tom Draper spew out sweet and unchallenging melodies at will, ably demonstrating the abilities within the band to have absorbed the influences of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Manowar and spun them into a fresh, melodic web of their own. "Scream When You See Us" centres around a flourishing Richie Faulkner (he of Judas Priest) solo and a staccato rhythm riff that at once sounds both new and reassuringly comfortable. From here the direction varies from the straight-ahead power metal of the openers into a more mixed palette of synth-led metal with progressive dashes thrown in. "Driven Wild" is based around rising intonations and twee synth giving a feel of Helloween and their likes - a sub-genre of metal I know that has a rabid following but which remains far too 'poppy' in feel to be taken seriously in a metal context.

"The Cannibal" showcases Primitai's commendable melodic sensibilities with a welter of solos in its second half, but I find myself asking what is the song around it saying? The rhythm and subsequent break that follows are too lightweight to make a lasting impression. "Holy Defender" has the monicker and confidence of a Manowar song title and catchy vocal patterns in the chorus to match, but none of the epic scale of those four ridiculous Americans (this will probably be a blessing to some). "Blink of an Eye" and "The Huntress" show Primitai are able to operate at faster speeds when the time calls but after multiple listens the repressed guitar sound in the verses leaves little to clutch onto, with Miller emerging as the highlight of the show. Album closer "What Watches Over Me" begins as a slow ballad of Iced Earth proportions and struggles to break free from these shackles until the middle stages of the track as the record closes in an introspective fashion, a curious decision when one of the previous faster numbers would have better suited this position.

"Rise Again" has all the marks of a good local band - passionate and polished - but ultimately lacks the magic spark to see them rise up once more to the next level.

5

Download: Scream When You See Us, Fortune Favours the Brave
For The Fans Of: Iced Earth, Ross the Boss, Judas Priest
Listen: Facebook

Release date: 14.10.2013
Self-released

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