Band:	Primal Age
Album:	The Gearwheels Of Time
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	April 2010
A review by:	Thryce

01. A Fire Consumes My Heart
02. Eyes But No Sight Of Bleeding
03. Genetically Murderer Organism
04. Symphony Of Dreams
05. Nothing To Lose
06. My Dear Freedom
07. What Makes Us Submit Ourselves?
08. Underworld
09. Opposite Forces
10. The Dead Shell
11. Hand Of Hope
12. The Eternal Struggle
13. Dictation Of Beauty [Morning Again cover]

Hardcore/Thrash metal
Recorded: Freaky Dog Studios, France 2009
Label: Deadlight Entertainment
Total Running Time: 40:56


Ready to take a beating? Are you? Cuz this is some not-so-straight-up thrashy hardcore from the cunt of hell.

Primal Age have been around for many years (thirteen to be exact), have never tried to impersonate anyone (or at least that's what I think, I'm not a real expert on the hardcore matter), and have earned enough street cred by now (Hellfest 2007 anyone?). So when they release The Gearwheels Of Time, their fourth studio release to date, you know you'll face a matured and hardened sound.

The Gearwheels Of Time is in fact a dangerous cocktail of thrash metal and hardcore. Dangerous because this will not work for everybody - of that I'm sure! Dangerous because Primal Age will smash you in the head with a golf club repeatedly though in an irregular pattern, just to leave you bleeding in the moonlight.

So yeah, the bumpiness of the pace is not really straightforward and therefore somewhat distracting; things are a little more complicated than they appear at first glance. Other than that, there's some damn catchy material in there too. The kind of tunes that will get stuck in your head so bad you'll have to drill right through your fucking skull to get them back out again.

The Gearwheels Of Time is a firing squad of neck-wrecking tune after tune. Some of those riffs are so razorsharp they'll be stabbing you right in the eyes. Vocals are pretty raw, harsh and more embittered than Satan's grandmother. As said, the overall flow is unreliable, but it will still get the adrenaline pumping, making you want to fight the kraken with your bare hands (or something to that effect).

If you're a thrashy riff junkie - like me - and have a gun and refuse to take your medication - that is so me - prepare to go a little berserk as you'll enjoy the shit out of this off-color release; thrashing, slashing and lashing out at whatever is around you. Ready to take the plunge? You sure?