Primitive Man are a Doom Metal band, hailing from the cold lands of Denver, Colorado in the US. They are well-renowned as being one of the heaviest bands on earth alongside the likes of Thou and The Body. Their last release turned many heads as Primitive Man put out a collaborative effort with famed Grindcore band, Full Of Hell, pairing sub-genres that are complete opposites together. Their last solo studio release before that was 2022s Insurmountable.
Shockingly enough, I have never listened to a Primitive Man album in full before but because of the aforementioned reasons and constant talk from my friends, they have always been on my radar as I was trying to find where would be the best place to start. Now I have no other choice, don’t talk about it, do it! My first Primitive Man outing is with their newest release Observance, let’s dive in.
Opening the album we have Seer, a song that in many ways feels like a salute to not only Sludge forefathers Grief, but also Noise acts like Merzbow. Going from classic chord striking power with thunderous low-end, into verses where the guitar and noise are at odds with one another. They engage in such violent doings that they end up eclipsing the sun in its process, beyond overbearing.
Progressing, we have track three with Transactional. This song forever plays with my expectations from beginning to end. The riff is forever expanding, faster than the sun of its parts as it stretches above and beyond the busy drums, miraculously staying in time with everything else. The snare drum makes its presence felt, making the walls shake as it calls to Khanate with ringing anxiety.
Then out of pure fear, from 8:44 the familiarity of Transactional is sucked into a black hole from the void as guitar and feedback become one once again. They birth an entity of the unknown which screams out into nothingness for almost a minute, made up entirely of harsh noise. A moment that almost brought me to tears upon hearing it as this was everything that I ever wanted.
As the punishment is felt, all that’s left is another slow crawl through the strikes as you feel more pain than you have ever felt in your life before as chords slash at your person, leaving a mark on your back. The instrumental is trying to reach up to heaven but hell is now far in the distance, Transactional is musical purgatory and it is my favourite song on Observance.
No matter what song I describe, every single one of them comes back to the same theme, being overwhelming. With no song outstaying its welcome and with full force, you are left with being a shell of a human being by the end of it, completely hollow on the inside. Primitive Man have chucked out a ravaged carcass to their fans and they have no choice but to eat it, like lions making sure that no little morsel goes to waste. Observance is a nature documentary that turned into a living breathing horror film.
Whilst yes, every scratch, punch and kick are felt, Observance made me well up but it didn’t terrify me, just a bit more could have been done. Despite that, it’s Primitive Man dropping experiences like this which prove why they are so celebrated as Sultans of Feedback and are regarded as being one of the heaviest bands to ever walk this earth. They for sure have made a fan out of me! 9/10
Howling Giant - Crucible & Ruin (Magnetic Eye Records) [Rich Piva]
I have been a huge Howling Giant fan for a while now and I always to expect to love what I am going to hear next from the band. 2023’s Glass Future was the most straight-ahead heavy rock record the band had put out up till then, so when the new record.
Crucible & Ruin, was announced, I expected maybe an even deeper dive into the more melodic hard rock side of the band. Well, what I got, in all of its glory and to my ultimate delight, is the most complex, heavy, progressive group of songs that takes their sound to whatever next level they can get to as already one of the leaders in the heavy underground. To say I am blown away by these ten songs would be a major understatement.
So, what’s different about Crucible & Ruin? First off, drummer Zach Wheeler’s performance on this record is off the charts, showing that he is one of the premiere drummers in heavy rock today. His work on Crucible & Ruin doubles down on the heaviness of these songs and his work is what makes this record stand up so tall. Sebastian Baltes hangs right with Zach in keeping down the low end and anchoring all of the amazing stuff coming at you on Crucible & Ruin.
So, what’s different about Crucible & Ruin? First off, drummer Zach Wheeler’s performance on this record is off the charts, showing that he is one of the premiere drummers in heavy rock today. His work on Crucible & Ruin doubles down on the heaviness of these songs and his work is what makes this record stand up so tall. Sebastian Baltes hangs right with Zach in keeping down the low end and anchoring all of the amazing stuff coming at you on Crucible & Ruin.
Next, the addition of Adrian Zambrano as a second guitar and fourth member has brought both a new level of musicianship and a bigger overall sound that makes all of these songs just huge. The band has moved away from organ and added more subtle synth work to the songs, and Adrian’s work there has fit in perfectly. Vocalist/guitarist Tom Polzine just lets it rip on the record, showing off on songs like Archon, with both his soloing and the best vocal performances of his career. The band went the more professional route from a recording standpoint, and you can tell, because the sound that has been captured is pretty much perfect.
The songwriting is next level too, from the proggy but still heavy AND melodic aforementioned Archon, to the full of cool changes opener, Canyons, to the chunky, complex Beholder I: Downfall that really displays Zach’s superhuman level of drumming. My two favourites are Scepter and Scythe, with the killer guitar work and the cool tempo changes, and Beholder II: Labyrinth that rips it up and shows how much all four members are just dialled into the vision and the goal of Crucible & Ruin.
Crucible & Ruin shows that if there is a next heavy underground band to take the Elder/King Buffalo leap to the next level, it is Howling Giant. This record rules for all the reasons above, and it doesn’t hurt that the guys in the band are excellent humans to go along with it. A for sure album of the year candidate and a must listen for everyone. 10/10
Embraced By Darkness – Ex Inferis (Non Serviam Records) [Spike]
Let's cut the pleasantries. This is a full-length debut forged in the cold Dutch underground, and Embraced By Darkness is here to remind us that Black Metal is not some cozy atmosphere to curl up with. Ex Inferis is a commitment to raw, blackened violence, a twelve-track descent that feels less like listening to music and more like being thrown down a flight of concrete stairs by a religious zealot. This album is a testament to focused, unyielding hate.
The production, handled by Anders Backelin, manages a perfect trick: it's clean enough that every surgical tremolo riff cuts through the mix, but filthy enough that the entire soundscape feels coated in caustic grime. You can actually hear the bass, but it only exists to ensure the crushing low end gives you proper vertigo.
The album starts with the ritualistic intro Tenebrae before detonating into Black Mass. This is where the band immediately sets the tempo to furious. They operate with relentless aggression, but avoid the messy sprawl of some raw black metal. Instead, they harness that punk energy into an efficient, striking weapon. The riffing is jagged, unforgiving, and laced with sinister melodic harmonies that draw clear lineage to titans like Dissection and Dark Funeral. They are not trying to reinvent the wheel; they are simply making sure their wheel is currently coated in razor wire and turning at terminal velocity.
The lyrical obsession is blatant and uncompromising: destruction, the fall of false prophets, and devotion to the dark path. Tracks like Messenger Of Satan and Black Flames Of Blasphemy utilize vocals that are purely guttural and acidic, sounding like they were screamed directly into a furnace. There is no time for soaring clean passages here, only the constant, abrasive rhythm of the fall. The sheer density of the album is impressive, yet the inclusion of melodic hooks, particularly on Enlightened By The Flames, ensures that the material, despite its unrelenting nature, retains a haunting, infectious quality. It sticks to your ribs while simultaneously trying to slice them open.
The relentless pace continues through the middle section, grinding listeners down with tracks like Diabolis and Lord Of Darkness. The shift only comes right at the very end. The final track, Mortuus, provides a sombre, slow march into oblivion. It is the sound of the aftermath, the cold, quiet peace that follows the chaos. It’s a necessary conclusion that doesn’t grant comfort, but confirms the devastation was complete. Ex Inferis is a powerful, unbridled invocation of chaos that delivers exactly what the cover promises: pure devotion to the dark arts, packaged in a viciously effective sonic storm. 8/10
Going Off - Kill List II (Self Released) [GC]
Crucible & Ruin shows that if there is a next heavy underground band to take the Elder/King Buffalo leap to the next level, it is Howling Giant. This record rules for all the reasons above, and it doesn’t hurt that the guys in the band are excellent humans to go along with it. A for sure album of the year candidate and a must listen for everyone. 10/10
Embraced By Darkness – Ex Inferis (Non Serviam Records) [Spike]
Let's cut the pleasantries. This is a full-length debut forged in the cold Dutch underground, and Embraced By Darkness is here to remind us that Black Metal is not some cozy atmosphere to curl up with. Ex Inferis is a commitment to raw, blackened violence, a twelve-track descent that feels less like listening to music and more like being thrown down a flight of concrete stairs by a religious zealot. This album is a testament to focused, unyielding hate.
The production, handled by Anders Backelin, manages a perfect trick: it's clean enough that every surgical tremolo riff cuts through the mix, but filthy enough that the entire soundscape feels coated in caustic grime. You can actually hear the bass, but it only exists to ensure the crushing low end gives you proper vertigo.
The album starts with the ritualistic intro Tenebrae before detonating into Black Mass. This is where the band immediately sets the tempo to furious. They operate with relentless aggression, but avoid the messy sprawl of some raw black metal. Instead, they harness that punk energy into an efficient, striking weapon. The riffing is jagged, unforgiving, and laced with sinister melodic harmonies that draw clear lineage to titans like Dissection and Dark Funeral. They are not trying to reinvent the wheel; they are simply making sure their wheel is currently coated in razor wire and turning at terminal velocity.
The lyrical obsession is blatant and uncompromising: destruction, the fall of false prophets, and devotion to the dark path. Tracks like Messenger Of Satan and Black Flames Of Blasphemy utilize vocals that are purely guttural and acidic, sounding like they were screamed directly into a furnace. There is no time for soaring clean passages here, only the constant, abrasive rhythm of the fall. The sheer density of the album is impressive, yet the inclusion of melodic hooks, particularly on Enlightened By The Flames, ensures that the material, despite its unrelenting nature, retains a haunting, infectious quality. It sticks to your ribs while simultaneously trying to slice them open.
The relentless pace continues through the middle section, grinding listeners down with tracks like Diabolis and Lord Of Darkness. The shift only comes right at the very end. The final track, Mortuus, provides a sombre, slow march into oblivion. It is the sound of the aftermath, the cold, quiet peace that follows the chaos. It’s a necessary conclusion that doesn’t grant comfort, but confirms the devastation was complete. Ex Inferis is a powerful, unbridled invocation of chaos that delivers exactly what the cover promises: pure devotion to the dark arts, packaged in a viciously effective sonic storm. 8/10
Going Off - Kill List II (Self Released) [GC]
Since 2020, Manchester’s Going Off have released an impressive amount of music with a host of EP’s, live albums and more they have also shared stages with some of the top names in the hardcore scene, 2025 sees them back in the studio and this new EP Kill List II has 7 tracks and clocks in at just under 10 minutes! What is there not to like about that!?
Nothing could really prepare me for what Change My Life sounded like!? It was a total shock I was expecting speedy and raw hardcore punk with some vicious and emotional twists, what I got was a weirdly slow chugathon that didn’t really do much at all and the vocals are just done weirdly, and I’m just not sure what happened? Brain Melter is even slower and not much happens, the problem with short tracks is if you want to have an impact you need to really smash it home but here, they all just sound the start off a song and then it’s over and I’m really not sure what the aim or end goal is here?
Nothing could really prepare me for what Change My Life sounded like!? It was a total shock I was expecting speedy and raw hardcore punk with some vicious and emotional twists, what I got was a weirdly slow chugathon that didn’t really do much at all and the vocals are just done weirdly, and I’m just not sure what happened? Brain Melter is even slower and not much happens, the problem with short tracks is if you want to have an impact you need to really smash it home but here, they all just sound the start off a song and then it’s over and I’m really not sure what the aim or end goal is here?
On Mourning it feels more of an apt pace and the misery is purveyed through the way the song is played, and the vocals do have that pain hidden behind them that does shine through a bit better than previously, No One Loves You is exactly what this should sound like its hardcore punk as it really should be, fast, raw, angry and emotive and its all over in just under 50 seconds and it’s a raw shot that is needed to spark some life into proceedings. When To Lose A Limb comes around I think I am finally tuning into what is going on, and I’m starting to warm to it more, the more I hear the more it gets under my skin and seeps into my conscious, I can feel the pain and I can feel the misery dripping from every sludgy riff and its getting better as it goes on.
Scum Friend is probably the best thing on the EP, its got that doomy, dragging and claustrophobic shrieking noise feel, I wish they would actually expand on the tracks though as the shorter run time doesn’t really help as just as you get into it, its done and it feels like there should be more to really emphasize everything! Salvation has the longest run time of 2:15 and also has the best riff on the EP and has a bit of a grooving rhythm injected into the bleakness and even with an extra minute or so you can feel the effect it has on the song as a whole and it makes it sound so much more complete and its just a shame its come this late into the EP.
My early opinions of the EP were that it just was not what I wanted and something was missing, the more it went on the better it got and I did enjoy it but I just really wish there was more of it as I think if some of these songs were slightly longer they would have sounded so much better and trust me I’m not one to ask for songs to be overly long but I feel here they just needed that little bit more! 6/10
My early opinions of the EP were that it just was not what I wanted and something was missing, the more it went on the better it got and I did enjoy it but I just really wish there was more of it as I think if some of these songs were slightly longer they would have sounded so much better and trust me I’m not one to ask for songs to be overly long but I feel here they just needed that little bit more! 6/10
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