Primal Age is OG Vegan Straight Edge 90’s Metalcore from France. The band was founded in 1995 (released their first Album in '97), became Absone in 1999, just to became Primal Age again in 2006 and remains active under that name until today....still vegan, still straight edge, still shredding that 90’s Metal(core) sound. One of my first releases (3 years ago), was the (now sold out) compilation/best of tape "My Legacy / Eternal Struggle - The Best Of 17 Years XVX 90's Metalcore" which held some of their (to my mind) best tracks from the very begining to where they where then... And now, in 2017 I just had the honor to work with them again and do the vinyl version of their most recent EP "A Silent Wound" (which you can now - only for one week - get on discount from the BBMA webstore). Check them out! FFO: Arkangel, Earth Crisis, Heaven Shall Burn, …
Lineup
Dimitri - Bass (?-1998, 2005-present) (ex-Absone)
Flo - Guitars (Decomposed Aesthetic, ex-Loky, ex-Rotting Faith, ex-Nobody's Straight)
Didier - Vocals (?-2000, 2005-present) (ex-Absone)
Florian - Guitars (2015-present)
Benoit - Guitars (2015-present)
Toki - Drums (2018-present) (ex-The Arrs, Alive But Slave)
I forgot about Primal Age. These guys played a brand of late nineties Euro-metalcore, in keeping with the time and place. This style seemed to appear when Europeans discovered Abnegation and started copying them. Soon there were umpteen obscure metalcore bands playing a similar style. There were a bunch of cliches associated with this stuff; endless chugging on open 'E' strings, simplified Slayer riffs based on "South of Heaven", angry screaming vocals, etc. It is easy to scoff at this kind of music these days. Few of these records have stood the test of time.
"The Light to Purify" is better than most. It has some basic, visceral appeal. I liked this record back in the day. Primal Age knew how to build a mood; as the excellent instrumental intro shows. This segues into "Innocence", which is the best track on the EP by far (and one of the best ever in this style of metalcore). The band's lyrics and ideology are typical of the scene. There is a focus on animal rights and eco-activism, and I think the band were straightedge too. The (recycled paper) inlay includes a customary double-page essay that rages against the plundering of Earth and teaches the importance of preserving it for the next generation. I can't argue with the sentiment. The messages are much more contemporary than the music itself.
For my money, Primal Age were better than similar bands (like Arkangel and Reprisal). This type of hardcore has always had a small, niche audience. The vocals are great, with a harsh, paint-stripping rasp to them. The drumming is better than most of the bands who played this style, and the drummer plays plenty of double-kick which adds to the intensity. Records like this were distinct from the Belgian H8000 'edge metal' sound that was also happening at around the same time. Those Flanders bands were more tied to old school hardcore and took more influence from Cleveland bands like Integrity and Ringworm. By contrast, Primal Age feels like a blend between Slayer and the nineties NYHC metalcore sound (of bands like Merauder).
There is plenty of passion and invective on "The Light to Purify". I'm sure this would have induced an energetic crowd response back in the late nineties. The production is gritty, and as D.I.Y. as you would expect. People who like this style should have this record on their radar. Personally, I think Clouded (Belgium) were the best band in this vein, aside from Abnegation themselves.
Release
The Light to Purify ' EP 1999
A Hell Romance ' Full-length 2007
The Gearwheels of Time ' Full-length 2010
Kill a Theory Vol II ' Split 2013
My Legacy / Eternal Struggle - The Best of 17 Years XVX 90's Metalcore (and Still Going Strong) ' Split 2014
A Silent Wound ' EP 2017
Masked Enemy ' Full-length 2021
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