review: Primordial--To The Nameless Dead

On their sixth album, Primordial explores the perils of nationalism and war. The verdict is (surprise!) our world’s about to come crashing down, and the record’s tone is appropriately cold, dark, and bleak. But who knew the decimation of society could be so boring? Despite solid production and musicianship, To the Nameless Dead drones on incessantly, sulkily, and above all, monotonously. With tracks this long (half are over eight minutes), not to mention the album’s lyrical themes, one might expect the songs to have an epic feel. And yet, most lack the peaks and valleys requisite for any great journey, featuring largely uniform instrumentation. Die hard fans of melodic death metal, with the patience to play the disc again and again, may latch onto the folksy rhythms of “Heathen Tribes” or the raw power of “As Rome Burns.” But the lack of depth and variety present here seems destined to keep Primordial confined to the underground metal scenes of Europe and their Irish homeland.

Primordial
To The Nameless Dead
Metal Blade