CoC : Thy Primordial - The Heresy of an Age of Reason : Review

Thy Primordial - _The Heresy of an Age of Reason_
(Pulverised, 2000)
by: (9 out of 10)

With surprisingly little time elapsed since the release of their fantastic third album, _At the World of Untrodden Wonder_, Sweden's unjustifiably unrecognised Thy Primordial have now, anno 2000, crafted their finest work of retaliation to date. Blasting in true TP style, opener "Ceased to Decay" showcases the band's knack for melding epic melody lines with pure aggression. As a moment of calm deceptively seems to settle in, writhing, serpentine riffs finely woven into a sudden storm of blasting drums and growling bass brutally lash out in venomous, hateful and melodic rushes, laden with spectacular, intense drumming and vocalist Isidor's harsh, grating and baleful screams. The highly impressive double-pedal pummelling of Morth sets the score right from the start: TP are faster and tighter than ever before, launching into attacks of breathtakingly furious, yet disarmingly melodious Swedish mayhem. The rage which animates _THoaAoR_ is truly tangible, and the incredible, bewitching melodic guitar work, at times tinged with the icy fury of early Norwegian black metal, can barely claim to shroud the sheer bestial anger that emanates from this thundering, rabid black metal opus. Comparisons with countrymen Dark Funeral will no doubt be made, but rest assured that TP's material rises far above the oft monotonous straight-ahead speed of the former. Masterfully tamed musical savagery is indeed what _THoaAoR_ perfectly embodies; Thy Primordial's fourth full-length exudes aggressive, outstanding musicality, played by five competent and inspired musicians. While one yearns for the stronger melodies of their early work, the sheer power and intensity on this album crushes any uncertainties one might have about this band's ability, as well as providing a testament to the faultless Sunlight production. In fact, TP's skills for keeping such relentlessly fast material from sounding messy or formulaic has always been remarkable, and the band looks to be honing it to a finer edge with every album. Despite the label's apparent lack of distribution and advertising, this record is brimming with an expensive production and layout worthy of much bigger labels. At a time of the ever-renewing metal cycle when black metal seems to have slipped into a coma, Thy Primordial have dealt a fourth merciless blow with _THoaAoR_, and spawned an album which reveals that the chthonic forces lurking in the Swedish scene are certainly as talented and worthy of recognition as the Swedish black metal flame-bearers Marduk and Dawn. Check out the interview in this issue for more information.

(article published 12/8/2000)

CHATS
8/12/2000	A Wee	Thy Primordial: Reasoning With the Heretics

ALBUMS
3/5/2000	A Wee	9	Thy Primordial - At the World of Untrodden Wonder
5/13/1997	S Hoeltzel	7	Thy Primordial - Where Only the Seasons Mark the Paths of Time