Primal

Holocaust has always struck me as one of the most unusual and unique bands ever to be spawned from the metal scene. Going from relatively normal NWOBHM to progressive/thrash metal a la Voivod, and now back to NWOBHM, over the course of the band's impressive 40-year span (and counting!). As I've mentioned elsewhere, several NWOBHM bands later morphed into something else, most often in the late 80s/early 90s, but few went as far from the rockin' heavy metal style as Holocaust did, going full Voivod on their first EP after they reformed, and to then go all the way back to rockin' heavy metal again is rather puzzling. Of course, a lot of this can be explained, yet even so it's a pretty strange case and one that, even with all the facts, I can't quite wrap my head completely around.

The biggest and most obvious reason for this shift was frontman John Mortimer, who has basically been the only original member since the "reunion" in 1988. There was, apparently, one drummer from the NWOBHM days who also played in the prog era for awhile, but it's pretty clear that the primary driving force of the band has been Mortimer, since he decided to assume both lead guitar and lead vocal duties on their 1984 sophomore album, No Man's Land. So it was pretty unsurprising that the development of Mortimer's musical tastes and interests would be reflected in the stylistic direction of the band. And of course, neither the shift to prog or back away from prog happened overnight; the first transformation came after a 4-year hiatus, the second after 10 years without any new original material. Mortimer has simply had different ideas about what sort of music he wanted to play over the years, and that seems simple enough on the surface. What's more intriguing is the fact that almost every release during the prog era of the band was rather stylistically distinct, and also that many of these changes included not only stylistic shifts but also radical differences in lyrical themes and the tone driving the music's atmosphere. Let me go into a bit more detail on this.

1989's The Sound of Souls EP was pure Voivod worship, albeit very competent Voivod worship that still managed to develop its own musical ideas enough to keep it from sounding too derivative. 1992's Hypnosis of Birds was a huge departure from this, borrowing much more from prog rock than from progressive thrash metal; only a couple of songs have any thrash influence, and then they sound virtually nothing like Voivod. Mortimer switches from a raw, savage bark to a squeaky clean vocal performance. As one might guess, the tone shifts pretty drastically - even more drastically than the musical shift would suggest, I'd posit. I'm not entirely sure as to the impetus which drove Mortimer to reform in 1988 and come up with The Sound of Souls, but I have read about his motivations in switching to the sound on Hypnosis of Birds. Mortimer has said that he was in a very bad place in his life and then one morning, out of the blue, he heard birds singing and the main riff for the title track on Hypnosis just popped into his head, more or less. I assume that this revelation, or a closely related one, also resulted in him "finding god," or at least discovering a rekindling of his faith, as only one song on The Sound of Souls references Christianity, and no songs from the NWOBHM era do. In fact, one track on The Nightcomers is pretty explicitly anti-Christian. Anyway, it's this juxtaposition that I find most paradoxical - that "finding god" caused Mortimer to go from slightly above average NWOBHM to some of my favorite albums of all time.

The paradox for me is that, as with (I assume) the majority of metalheads, I'm an atheist as well as an anti-theist. If I were to go to my 17-year-old self that one of my absolute favorite bands would have a pretty strong Christian theme, I would have laughed in my face. Yet here it is, nonetheless. It never really gets to the point of being preachy, but God and Jesus are mentioned explicitly in all of their post-Sound of Souls prog albums. This is an annoyance to me, yet the music so far surpasses almost everything else I've ever heard that it doesn't make me enjoy it less to any appreciable extent. Holocaust are literally the only band where this is true for me. I like a few other mildly Christian bands, but whenever certain lyrics come up, I always cringe, and it always makes me enjoy the song than I would otherwise. Mortimer, has, somehow, created an exception to this rule. This is where the perceived paradox resonates most strongly with me.

Okay, so I've spent four paragraphs and still haven't described the music on Primal. That's coming soon, don't worry. The last thing I want to mention before that is something I reference in the title of this review. There's a pretty clear symmetry in the five prog Holocaust releases. Primal, the last, is by far most similar to the first, both having a very strong thrash influence and semi-harsh, raspy vocals. Hypnosis of Birds and The Courage to Be are the most melodic, with much more of a prog rock foundation and very little thrash influence. Covenant really is a pretty even combination of both. What's the significance to this? Well, it follows the greater symmetry of Mortimer's entire career - heavy metal, thrash, prog rock, thrash/prog rock, thrash, heavy metal. Of course this could be largely coincidental, but to me it seems almost like a narrative, moving up to a climax and then coming back down. Covenant, for me, is certainly the height of his inspiration, being my favorite album of all time, and it's also smack dab in the middle of his discography. So, to me, that is the center point, the height of his genius, and this begins to taper off in a nearly linear way if you go chronologically in either direction. I bring all of this up here because I hadn't really been able to formalize my thoughts on Mortimer and Holocaust's discography until recently, Primal being the last of the prog albums that I was able to fully absorb and digest. That having been finally said in what is admittedly a very long ramble, let's spend a little bit of time, at last, on Primal.

As I mentioned, it's a very thrashy album, Mortimer opting for the gruff bark delivery over the cleaner one on the three previous albums. As far as the musical quality is concerned, it certainly doesn't compare to Hypnosis and Covenant, but I like it a bit more than The Courage to Be, which means that it's an excellent album, but one that falls just short of brilliance as a whole. Some tracks are certainly brilliant - the first two, "Iron Will" and "Black Box," have been the most memorable to me, and clearly Mortimer thinks highly of "Iron Will," since it's the only prog-era song he plays live these days. There are hints of the band's more melodic side here and there; the end of "Black Box" has a clean passage with somewhat less raspy vocals from Mortimer, and a couple of songs, like "Fools {Bring On the Light)" and "Made Righteous." These don't really fully hearken back to their more melodic work, the mood being one more of peaceful finality than of deep introspection or self-conflict. Rather than on Covenant and Hypnosis, which often includes a hopeful melody and a more ominous one played simultaneously, here we tend to get more of an alternation, with long periods of pretty much pure rage and hatred occasionally relieved by passages of hope or peace. I feel this isn't quite as strong as the other method, as the ideas aren't in direct conflct and therefore aren't as complex or really as ambitious either, but that's kind of like saying being a millionaire isn't quite as good as being a multi-millionaire; both are in such utterly fantastic territory that it's really more of a quibble than anything.

I would say that this is probably their darkest album as a whole. While the EP was very aggressive and rage-filled, it stayed in that territory pretty much exclusively, which suggested more of a warlike atmosphere. Here, the rage sounds more bitter and desperate, and the softer counterpoint suggests, as I said, more of a kind of peaceful finality, like the wistful nostalgia of someone who knows things are coming to an end for them. I think this works very well in context, considering this is the last prog Holocaust album. It wouldn't surprise me if Mortimer himself was somewhat aware of this, and wrote the album as a reflection of his feeling of not having a lot of inspiration left in him, or something similar. When it comes down to it, the one single word I'd use to describe prog Holocaust as a whole would be "organic." The progression seems very natural, symmetrical but not perfectly so, a fairly messy and complicated progression, stumbling into something greater, something which transcends mere music, spending just enough time there to fully capitalize it and describe it, a brief vision into a greater world before stumbling back out again, never fully in control of it but also better for having seen it. Though I doubt Mortimer will ever be gripped by the unparalleled genius that struck him for the 10-15 years or so of prog Holocaust, the memory remains, both in him and within the music itself, and any who are fortunate enough to listen to its wisdom. Yes, Holocaust is a paradox for me, but then, life is kind of a paradox, isn't it? Wanting to live without knowing what we want to do, stumbling onward without knowing where we'll end up, valuing our existence only because of the knowledge of our own mortality. These albums will always stand as a testament of that, a true representation of who we are and what we do, and anyone who hears them will be more aware and more enlightened for it.

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 previous opus "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.

What an easy job the band has set up for me. Straight from the dictionary, “primal” is defined as first; original; of first importance; fundamental – also a pretty good description of this latest effort from Holocaust. There’s just something so primal about the sounds and emotions emitting from this album. There’s a great deal of anger, hate and a lingering sadness but also, emerging from the shadows, a beautiful strain of hope. The pace is constant and rather slow - driven by relentless guitar work - which isn’t a bad thing since Primal is about atmosphere more than anything else. No, there are no ballads, not even any fast parts, just a crushing methodical pace. Sounds boring on paper, but John Mortimer has learned something during his 20-year career, namely how to write songs that are consistent and varied and most of all, intelligent. These may be some of the best lyrics Mortimer has written as well. They deal with life and paint a not so positive imagery. Some would call them depressing; I call them fitting for the album’s dark atmosphere and angry sounds. The vocal duties are carried by John Mortimer whose voice is integral to the band’s sound. To some, his harsh singing may come across as limited, but the magic of his voice lies in the small nuances. To my ears, he’s an expressive vocalist whose voice perfectly underlines the lyrical theme in a subliminal and profound way.

The guitar-sound is reminiscent of perhaps 90s Black Sabbath, but somewhat rawer, dirtier and darker in its tone. The rhythm guitar-work by John McCullim is methodical and catchy, rarely melodic but never boring either. It is clearly the constructive instrument here, but the band makes diligent use of the second guitar in the form of solos, a couple of intros and (most importantly) mood-setting background melodies as demonstrated on ‘Black Box’, ‘Colossus’ and ‘Lost Horizons’. Solos are carefully used, few and far between, and pretty short. Some of them are beautiful in a melancholic way, which makes them worthy of attention, for example the 2:30 solo on ‘Hell on Earth’.

Every song is a standout in its own way but ‘Transcendence’ deserves special mention. Not because it’s better than the rest but because it’s pretty much the only song driven by a true guitar melody as well as the only song along with ‘Lost Horizons’ that begins with something that could be called an intro. It makes for an unexpected turn of events, but it works and doesn’t feel out of place. The aforementioned ‘Lost Horizons’ is a wonderful song, beautiful and epic – it’s simply the perfect finish to the album and evens things out masterfully. The solemn guitar-playing situated in the background is woefully effective as an atmospheric tool and is essentially what gives the song its character.

The magic of Primal lies in how the band mixes up their music. Although brutal and methodical riffs are the mainstay of the album, there’s a certain beauty to it all, and some surreal qualities. Melodies that seemingly come out of nowhere, the soaring solos, the wonderful backing guitars and Mortimer’s expressive voice are undeniably responsible for that. Holocaust have indeed crafted something here that is truly unique. The sounds… the outstanding blend of emotions… the artistic style… it’s all so beyond this world and such an unwavering product of a vision intact that I’m left speechless by it all.

Regrettably, I haven’t heard their earlier albums, but if the band used to play NWOBHM as the Metal Archives state, they must have gone through quite the transformation because this sounds nothing like the new wave. I have actually no idea what style of metal this is. You’d think there’s only so much you can do with a pair of guitars, a bass and drums, but apparently the musical boundaries are not as narrow as I once thought. In my reviews I make it a habit to draw comparisons to other bands and it’s usually an easy thing to do, but not so this time. Hence, the only other bands I’m going to mention in this review are Alchemist and Therion. Not because there are similarities to Holocaust – there aren’t – but because those bands defy attempts to categorize their music too. However, unlike Therion’s sometimes misguided cross-genre expeditions, Holocaust’s sound can’t be described as anything but tried and true metal.

Holocaust’s Primal may be an acquired taste. I remember listening to it some time ago and just not getting it. Two years later and voila – my eyes (or ears) open and everything becomes clear. Such is the way of master songwriters and their sometimes not so accessible creations. I will probably never give out a perfect score of 100% but this comes damn close, 98%!