REVIEWS:

From Ireland hails Primal Dawn, a young band delivering furious Black/Death metal. This seems to be the third release of the band and the first in this aggressive direction after some line up changes and I must say this is some promising stuff. Even though the general approach of this four piece is slightly more melodic I generally felt reminded to the Australian War metal scene in terms of ferocity. The credo of the band seems to be “take no prisoners” anyway as the overall pace is fast with lots of blastbeats dominating. Here and there thrashy breaks are thrown in, turning into powerful midtempo moments, often accompanied with a hymnic melody, something which hints at Black metal. A certain resemblance to Angel Corpse is present which is certainly also owed to the mid ranged, almost thrash metal like vocal delivery. It may be the mixture of blasting filthy death metal, aggressive black metal with some hints of melody (think of homeopathic doses of old dissection) wrapped in a raw and relentless thrashing attitude which made me think of some Oz bands. The packaging is simple yet quite tasteful, showing a greenish medieval battle scene on the front (possibly the Irish defending themselves against the Cromwell invasion?) and a moody b/w panorama photography with the lyrics printed over it inside the booklet. For an underground release the production is sufficiently thick and raw, only the drums sounds a bit prominent in the mix here and there which is only a minor flaw, though Zealot is available for 5 euros directly from the band, friends of rabid underground Black/Death with a slightly chaotic edge should think about a purchase. Make up your own mind via: www.myspace.com/primaldawn . More information can be obtained at www.primaldawn.cjb.net or get in touch directly: primaldawn@gmail.com .

Ulrich Kreienbrink/voices from the darkside zine

Like their compatriots Sol Axis, Primal Dawn stem from far away Ireland , but travel a slightly different path to their colleagues. Rumbling Black Metal with almost Death Metal-esque vocals and an occasional Thrash Metal component confronts the listener, and with the exception of the terribly awry Slayer-inspired solo in opener ‘Wrath Of The Righteous', ‘Zealot' manages to convince across the full duration (ok, so it's not that long). The quartet creates a great deal of raw, hate-laden energy, especially evident during the hysterical, and excellent, ‘Reap The Chosen '. The production has fittingly been left completely raw and primal, the bass is optimally placed (particularly apparent between the alternating crazy speed and heavy mid-tempo parts of ‘World Within Worlds'), pro-tools et al. have no place in the world of Primal Dawn. The frequently inserted melodic sections also work very well, cold riffs from the far north west . The concluding ‘Living Silently By The Sword' combines all of Primal Dawn's virtues once more and ends a very good, cult 10inch.

Taste of black webzine

Almost four years after the release of their last demo, ‘The Euthanasia Programme', Primal Dawn return with their latest aural assault, ‘Zealot'. The demo represents another significant, albeit long overdue, step forward for the band, and is certain to see the four Dubliners jostle for a place amongst the front ranks of the Irish Death Metal genre. Primal Dawn themselves describe their music as being based on extremity, brutality and aggression; a succinct and entirely apt description, and the four songs on offer here are testament to all three. In just under sixteen minutes Primal Dawn lay waste to all before them, both musically and lyrically. This is brutal Death Metal with an American influence, just not quite as clinically executed, and with a more earthy, less sterile feel to it, and at times veers perceptibly into Black Metal territory (particularly ‘Reap The Chosen'). One of the band's greatest strengths, and one that possibly sets Primal Dawn apart from many of its peers, is the variability and sheer ferocity of John McGhee's vocals. If the lyrics alone were not already piercing enough, he manages raise them to an entirely new level of invective. Despite the largely positive impression created by ‘Zealot', it's not yet quite the finished article. The songs are deliberately complex, but the time changes are not as fluid as they might be, most notably in ‘Wrath Of The Righteous'. Also, some of the guitar leads tend to stand out a little too much, be it the result of either the timing in the song, the placement in the mix or the execution. The single greatest complaint, though, is that the sound on ‘Zealot' is a little bit muddy. Intentionally primitive, and suitably so, the lack of clarity means that in places little nuances that the listener can just about make out are not quite as effective as they might be. Which is a shame as there's a lot going on within each of the richly textured songs. All in all, a promising release in need of a little refinement, and one suggesting a brighter (or darker) future is in store.

Metalireland.com

This is a the newest release from this great Black Death Metal band hailing from Dublin , Ireland . I loved this bands previous release (which I distribute) & this new disc blows that one out of the water. These guys have progressed & improved tremendously. The music is very harsh, heavy & brutal as hell sounding. I loved the mixture of the two styles together. There is a lot of tightness, aggression & fast paced music here. The vocals are done in a mid ranged harsh Death growl mixed with a slight Death scream. This is the best stuff yet from this great band. Keep a watch on these guys, because they will be getting bigger in the underground, very quickly!!!

Treats from the underground webzine

Holy hell! I haven't heard a single word about this band, but their forthcoming 10” Zealot reveals something very notorious and essential. This Irish group storms on many levels having influences from death metal and thrash metal. This core is injected to life with a deadly dose of Scandinavian black metal: hints of Dissection (melodies), Gehenna (speed) and old Dodheimsgard (song structures). All this is mangled through an aggressive and chaotic shredder, and the result is very unique but still grotesque. You're seldom introduced to this kind of mixture of epic, brutal and raging metal. Add the double vocals between parched grasp and growling hate and you have something special in your hands.

Kaleidoscope zine #2

Is the Irish Metal scene turning into violent stuffs suddenly ? I was in used to listened to typical Irish sound through Primordial, Cruachan, Waylander then all of a sudden Sol Axis stroke with a blasting Black/Death Metal and now Primal Dawn is following them. The 4 tracks from "Zealot" are about brutal Black/Death Metal, that sometimes reach the border line of War Metal scene with some grinding tempos, furious scolding vocals and chaotic guitar riffs. There's something in their sound that reminds me Thrash Metal, even though with are far from 80's scene. Primal Dawn is a bloody bulldozer, hammering your ears till death, there's not even a slice of melodious idea here !! Fans of brutal stuff rush to this MCD and support this Irish band; they deserve it !

Franang zine