Primal

As the band under scrutiny here is the best epitome of the two phenomena: they have produced some of the finest moments in the annals of metal, and yet they have received very little recognition from the fanbase. To add lack of logic to injustice, they were one of the first UK metal outfits, having started around the same time as Iron Maiden, Saxon and Venom. They were an indelible part of the NWOBHM wave their debut being one of the flagships of the movement. Alas, for some mysterious reason the band failed to produce the sophomore shortly after, which was mandatory if the guys wanted to make themselves heard, and by the time that second coming saw the light of day their mentioned colleagues had already accumulated 3 to 4 albums. On top of that, it didn’t show the band at their best with dirtier production and a more relaxed punky attitude. Consequently it didn’t generate any lasting interest and the band rushed down the road to oblivion accompanying other NWOBHM practitioners like Jaguar, Satan/Pariah, Diamond Head, Hell and Blitzkrieg.

It took John Mortimer, the band founder and the only permanent member, wholesome five years to re-evaluate the situation and to see how he could possibly fit into the late-80’s metal carnival. Singing and playing NWOBHM evergreens to the more demanding late-80’s progressive/thrash/death metal generation simply wasn’t going to do the trick anymore. A change was necessary; a change in nearly every department… however, did Mortimer have what it took to place Holocaust on the more volatile late-80’s map?

He did by all means, and with style and skills to spare. The “The Sound of Souls” EP was a radical shift of style into brilliant avantgarde progressive thrash with an abstract dissonant flavour quite reminiscent of late-80’s Voivod; an absolute stunner which again remained unrecognized. Having finally found his niche to unleash his creativity to the fullest, Mortimer continued unperturbed and released a string of ambitious opuses some of which may be viewed high points in the progressive metal genre, among which “Spirits Fly” would not be of big interest to the metal fandom as it's pretty much an acoustic re-working of the preceding instalment "Hypnosis of Birds".

And here we arrive at the threshold of the album reviewed here; it was an arduous, long ride, but Mortimer by all means deserves the tribute to his heritage which continues on full-throttle on this beast. “Iron Will” opens the album with stomping sinister riffs recalling Anvil’s immortal “Forged in Fire”, and later on the delivery remains dark, depressing and sombre with more dynamic thrashy riffs Mortimer’s vocals sounding angrier and less attached than before, but perfectly fitting the more immediate, more aggressive approach. “Black Box” is a moody mid-pacer steam-rolling forward in a dispassionate, nicely sterile manner with a few more lyrical additives and a more intense semi-headbanging ending. “Hell on Earth” is a doomy hymn with strangely uplifting rhythms the latter becoming even more optimistic on the short “Transcendence”, an alternative heavy rocker with a cool memorable chorus recalling the band’s early recordings from the 80’s.

“Fools (Bring on the Light)” is a more energetic dry thrasher sounding like a mix between mid-90’s Prong and Voivod, maybe with a more intense rhythm-section and a more overt crossover flair. “Made Righteous” is a stomping jumpy quasi-doomster with a spacey psychedelic vibe, and “It’s Your Team” is an even more vivid jumper with more involving progressive decisions and a never-ending supply of bouncy hallucinogenic riffs. “They Colonize” is a glorious reminder of “The Sound of Souls”, a dark complex thrasher with Mortimer providing more vicious, meaner vocals to match the more brutal delivery which doesn’t break any sound barriers staying within the upper mid-paced parametres with cool atmospheric balladic deviations. “Colossus” pounds its way in an officiant, doomy fashion with progressive interludes where Mortimer tries a cleaner timbre also serving a couple of tasty melodic quirks. “Lost Horizons” is a relaxing closer of the dreamy spacey variety with not many ties to metal reminiscent of early Hawkwind hinting at the mellower character of “Hypnosis of Birds”.

As a whole this recording is much less complex than any work from the band’s progressive cycle bringing to mind the first two affairs in terms of structure although execution-wise this is way more belligerent with thrash featured prominently on at least half of the material. On the other hand, it’s a sure winner with its monolithic, homogenous frame without many ups and downs regarding complexity and intensity. Everything flows in a consistent, positively predictable way the steady heavy stomping guitar sound ensuring the binding element among the songs, a layout last encountered on “No Man’s Land”. To these ears this effort ranks higher than the last three instalments due to its more aggressive aura and the less meandering progressive puzzles. Mortimer was obviously tired of compiling these musical labyrinths, and wanted to rock out just for the sake of it, like in the good old days…

and he continued to do so on the following “Predator” which appeared after a gigantic 12-year hiatus. I want to believe that the man had spent this lengthy period doing something within the metal confines, or at least within the music industry although there’s no evidence of any such activity. Anyway, he remains fixed upon his creation feeling nostalgic for the glorious 80’s as this last so far opus goes back right to the band’s very roots on quite a few tracks Mortimer trying to find the requisite balance between his passion for the NWOBHM times and the darker, more brutal primal sounds. However he chooses to carry on with his career, the fans should have no worries with this fabulous unsung metal hero; the music will always be great, and it will never be an easy-to-swallow “dish” with a commercial, sing-along potential.