Primogenorum - Ye Last Ordeal

Primogenorum

Ye Last Ordeal

by Louise Brown at 29 May 2019, 7:08 PM

PRIMOGENORUM is a Ukranian Black Metal band which got their start in 2008. They established a reputation for themselves in the underground Metal scene which gave them a minor cult status among some fans. The band has a total of eight releases to its credit, including two full-length albums as well as the EP "Ye Last Ordeal". According the posts I saw on Facebook the EP is the band's very last recorded effort together. That would explain why there are no social links for the band besides their old Bandcamp page.

Since there are only four tracks on the EP, naturally, I will review all of them.

"Trail Of Black Fire" begins in a very distorted, down-tempo manner. The distortion is effectively accentuated by a repetitive guitar riff. The vocals on the track are hoarse, rough and strangely appealing. The song takes on a heavier tone after the first two minutes as it manages to blend Industrial and Black Metal influences into a combination that is creepy and compelling all at once. At just over five minutes in duration the song is neither too short nor too long which should appeal to most Metal fans. It's a solid example of Experimental Black Metal and is quite good.

"Ominous Nights" has an excellent opening guitar hook. It's bleak and understated as the rest of the song slowly comes to life around it. It is extremely down-tempo in its tone, even with regard to Black Metal standards. Once the vocals begin it's another performance similar to the previous track; not the least bit melodic, just hoarse and demanding in a low-key sinister manner that sort of creeps up on you as you listen to it. Throughout the song that bleak guitar hook continues, adding so much tension to the track that you end up wondering if it will ever end. The track is mesmerizing in a way that only seriously dark music can achieve; it's quite excellent for that reason.

The two remaining songs on the EP, unfortunately, were not as enjoyable. "On The Ground Of The Dying Man" has a faster pace than the previous tracks as well as a nice underlying Thrash Metal-sounding guitar riff. But the song falls short of the mark. It's a little too repetitive, even after the song's nature changes somewhat after two minutes and twenty seconds have gone by. There are odd, distorted-sounding riffs that seem disjointed and out-of-place towards the last part of the song which caused me to wonder why they didn't opt for a distorted guitar solo instead; a solo would've tied the parts of the song together rather than making it sound so off. I appreciate the effort the band put into the song, but I honestly could not get into it no matter how hard I tried. Then there is the final track, "Sacrilegious Atrocity". While the title indicates that it is NOT a happy song I was not prepared for what I heard at all. After a great deal of distortion the hapless listener ends up hearing what sounds like dogs being tortured to death followed by something that sounds like a sexual assault in progress on a woman. I can't tell you what happens after that because I had to turn it off. I am not a weak or easily offended person, but what I heard upset me a great deal. Black Metal already has a bad reputation; why make it worse by recording the very things that the genre is already FALSELY affiliated with? It is irresponsible as well as tasteless. In all honestly I am glad this band is done; they should be. And based on the final track alone I will NOT suggest this album as an addition to anyone's collection.

Songwriting: 0
Originality: 0
Memorability: 0
Overall: 0