Primitive Graven Image - Hellish Figurines (7,5/10) - Great Britain - 2006
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Open Grave Records
Playing time: 19:37
Band homepage: Primitive Graven Image
Tracklist:
The Night Of Dokkalfur And Ljosalfur
None Shall Stand
Of What We Have Become
The Journey To The Forest
For All Mankind
Blood Red Heart >mp3
A six fingered fist of Neanderthal Black Metal for you here. PRIMITIVE GRAVEN IMAGE scrape their riffs from the blood painted walls of fire lit caves. We are talking the contemporary view of Neanderthal though, rude intelligence instead of knuckle-dragging savages.
Clearly indebted to early DARKTHRONE but not slavish copyists, you can expect harsh guitars with scrawling lead riffs and mammoth bone drumming. The slower songs drip with a coating of Doom but never lose their Black Metal core, they also have the right amount of groove, something that many of the purveyors of this aspect of the genre often find hard to master. Of What We Have Become highlights PGI's ability to force reluctant fusty riffs into something altogether more vital, re-animating skeletal remains without actually adding anything as superfluous as flesh. A lead motif rises and falls like a sacrificial knife, staining the quartz veined ceiling dark red, predominantly ritualistically processional, a brief flurry of pace stirs those at the back.
Hellish Figurines is essentially the band's demo wrapped up by Open Grave to attract interest for the debut album next year. As such the production isn't brilliant but doesn't detract either and of course, may well add to your enjoyment. Overall, the delivery is quite crisp in a dried twig sense, everything that needs to be heard can be and every instrument makes a worthy contribution. Reverb plays its part, evoking the impression of being recorded in some cavern whilst ice age weather tightens its grip on the world outside.
The Journey To The Forest is the first track to involve any real pace. For me it is the best track on the album, a dark, mournful lead riff glides above the pounding percussion as the distant growled vocals are shredded by the arctic wind. The fact that I enjoy the slower sections just about as much as the fast drone of this song is testament to PGI's obvious potential. They also have the ability to create variation, albeit restrained, throughout these songs and even the orchestral intro fits.
Arguably the biggest nod to DARKTHRONE is the final track. The mix of dynamics and the theatrical tone sites this song firmly into Blaze...territory as far as influence is concerned and the essence has been captured convincingly. The trudge and rush counterpoints, together with that spiked lead stabbing into the body at various points is like being tossed into a viper pit, you are forever dodging venom strikes.
PRIMITIVE GRAVEN IMAGE convince from the start on this demo and leave you thinking in no uncertain terms by the end that their debut is worth looking forward to. Many of you will enjoy this, PGI out.
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Open Grave Records
Playing time: 19:37
Band homepage: Primitive Graven Image
Tracklist:
The Night Of Dokkalfur And Ljosalfur
None Shall Stand
Of What We Have Become
The Journey To The Forest
For All Mankind
Blood Red Heart >mp3
A six fingered fist of Neanderthal Black Metal for you here. PRIMITIVE GRAVEN IMAGE scrape their riffs from the blood painted walls of fire lit caves. We are talking the contemporary view of Neanderthal though, rude intelligence instead of knuckle-dragging savages.
Clearly indebted to early DARKTHRONE but not slavish copyists, you can expect harsh guitars with scrawling lead riffs and mammoth bone drumming. The slower songs drip with a coating of Doom but never lose their Black Metal core, they also have the right amount of groove, something that many of the purveyors of this aspect of the genre often find hard to master. Of What We Have Become highlights PGI's ability to force reluctant fusty riffs into something altogether more vital, re-animating skeletal remains without actually adding anything as superfluous as flesh. A lead motif rises and falls like a sacrificial knife, staining the quartz veined ceiling dark red, predominantly ritualistically processional, a brief flurry of pace stirs those at the back.
Hellish Figurines is essentially the band's demo wrapped up by Open Grave to attract interest for the debut album next year. As such the production isn't brilliant but doesn't detract either and of course, may well add to your enjoyment. Overall, the delivery is quite crisp in a dried twig sense, everything that needs to be heard can be and every instrument makes a worthy contribution. Reverb plays its part, evoking the impression of being recorded in some cavern whilst ice age weather tightens its grip on the world outside.
The Journey To The Forest is the first track to involve any real pace. For me it is the best track on the album, a dark, mournful lead riff glides above the pounding percussion as the distant growled vocals are shredded by the arctic wind. The fact that I enjoy the slower sections just about as much as the fast drone of this song is testament to PGI's obvious potential. They also have the ability to create variation, albeit restrained, throughout these songs and even the orchestral intro fits.
Arguably the biggest nod to DARKTHRONE is the final track. The mix of dynamics and the theatrical tone sites this song firmly into Blaze...territory as far as influence is concerned and the essence has been captured convincingly. The trudge and rush counterpoints, together with that spiked lead stabbing into the body at various points is like being tossed into a viper pit, you are forever dodging venom strikes.
PRIMITIVE GRAVEN IMAGE convince from the start on this demo and leave you thinking in no uncertain terms by the end that their debut is worth looking forward to. Many of you will enjoy this, PGI out.
