Never has a band been so aptly named; Primitive Man are consistent, robust and, well…primitive in their approach to making music – crank absolutely everything up until it produces disgusting amounts of feedback then churn out smouldering heaps of charred-black hatred that moves at a glacial pace. It’s a fairly simple formula and they use it with aplomb. Since their inception back in 2012, they’ve put out a full length, a demo and four splits (Hessian, Xaphan, Hexis and Fister) – their productivity has caught the eye of label giants Relapse, who have snapped up the trio for the release of latest EP ‘Home is Where The Hatred Is’.
It’s refreshing to see a band not compromise on their signature sound upon falling into the clutches of a label and, if anything, this latest release sees Primitive Man become ever more hateful, if that’s even possible. ‘Home…’ comprises four tracks that are dense, horribly oppressive and totally unsubtle. Of course it’s not all slow and dread inducing; there’s the occasional glimpse of crusty d-beats and even the tiniest bit of groove on opener ‘Loathe’ and second track ‘Downfall’. However, it’s gone in a heartbeat, to pave the way for yet more creeping, seething doom-death that you won’t so much enjoy as you will cower from.
It’s amazing that these guys have managed to make this sound work on so many releases without really changing anything and without it sounding stale or tired. Time and again we are tormented with the same cloying, suffocating misery that screams “abandon all hope” – it will be interesting to see if Primitive Man string this same methodical playing style out for another album or choose to mix things up a bit. For now, however, home is truly where the hatred is and it hasn’t outstayed its welcome yet.
(8/10 Angela Davey)
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