review from Metal Ireland:
On first listen, The Gathering Wilderness comes as a massive shock. After the epic sounds of Spirit The Earth Aflame, and the ravaging aggression of Storm Before Calm, the eagerly awaited fifth studio album from Primordial succeeds in retaining their unique character: different though it most certainly is - but disappointing? Not a chance. Opening track The Golden Spiral starts with a striking, almost foreboding riff, hinting of the epic nature of what is to come. One of the first things that is noticed is the sheer weight of the sound, the guitars sounding warm and full-bodied, yet simply downright heavier than ever before. Those expecting the black metal vocals which dominated Storm Before Calm will be in for a surprise, as a new clarity renders the performance impassioned and highly captivating. Subtle layering of vocals adds to the intensity of the emotion on display. Lyrically, from the very start, it is clear that absolute desperation and profound melancholy are clear themes throughout, perhaps more evidently than ever in previous albums.
The title track is up next, slowing down the pace and is perhaps one of the saddest songs that the band has written to date. The sublime use of vocal layering, particularly noticeable in this track, adds an almost ethereal quality to the album, never becoming trite or clichéd. Whereas previous Primordial albums have set a tone and an overall pace, The Gathering Wilderness is anything but steady going - it is very much a progressive journey, with tracks varied yet continuity running throughout. As the title track folds, Song Of The Tomb opens with a striking drum intro and upbeat riffing. On first appearances, this song displays an almost more immediate Primordial than what we might be used to - straight forward, yet always striking vocals, and a more regular song structure. However, on each further listen, subtleties begin to reveal themselves and the song really starts to unfold. Tragedys Birth is also similar in terms of overall feeling and effort; an all out gutsy metal song which at times highlights an almost rockier side of this band.
End Of All Times (Martyrs Fire) hails another change in both tempo and tone - almost harking back to the sound and feeling of Journeys End with a hint of Imrama thrown in for good measure. Although the general feeling refers back to that of desperation and despair, it always remains epic, with the latter half speeding up to get the blood flowing once more. This is swiftly followed by a plaintivedepiction of the Irish Famine on The Coffin Ships, which mixes excerpts from a memorial at a mass grave with a haunting guitar melody. Primordials lyrics are beautifully simple and suitably tragic, and a fitting tribute to the vast numbers of lives lost and destroyed. In this song, history is made reality, and certainly, if a fan from another culture were to read the lyrics and actually learns something about this chapter in history, it can only be deemed a good thing.
A massive boost to the Primordial sound comes from the dual guitar lines which run throughout the album. Many bands often seem to insert these lines to break up the tedium of a long song, but not here. Each track has a set of wonderfully layered, interweaving guitar lines which really display the depth of the song writing process. The dual guitars pave the way for a rawer and more aggressive sound than the band has ever before displayed - with a new producer at the helm (Billy Anderson, whose past work includes Neurosis, Brutal Truth and The Melvins) and a change of studio, the Primordial sound has never sounded as fresh and exciting. The bass guitar has been turned up several notches, and more individual focus has been placed on the instrument compared to Storm Before Calm which adds to the weight of the album, without ever sounding overbearing. The drums have also become altogether more powerful and multi dimensional, adding to the sheer wall of sound on offer.
The album closes with Cities Carved in Stone, a reflective song full of bittersweet resignation culminating in the line Who knows where the days go.. Would you ever want them back? Simple, yet highly effective lyrics makes this perhaps the most effective song of the album, encapsulating the very essence of Primordial - they make music not just for musics sake, but set out to write songs with a genuine meaning and a message. There is not a single track on the album which is not stamped with personal feeling, empathy and emotion which is so sadly all too lacking in the music-as-product culture of today.
If any criticism is to be made on The Gathering Wilderness, perhaps the song order could have been better constructed to give a more continuous feeling to the album. Rather though, the tempo changes after almost every song; but this is a minor complaint at best. This is not an album to simply listen to casually for the want of a better word, as it would not do the songs themselves justice. The apparent immediacy of a few of the songs does not pigeon hole the band, but instead opens up a whole new potential audience. Those who are after an easy listen may struggle with this album. However for anyone with a true passion for music, this is a must and perfectly encapsulates just why Primordial are so important.
4.8 / 5 -Mark McGarry ::: 05/02/05
