Band:	Primitive Man
Album:	Steel Casket
Style:	Noise, Blackened sludge metal
Release date:	April 25, 2018
A review by:	Auntie Sahar

01. Fear
02. A Life Of Turmoil

There were hints that it was coming, but never quite like this.

The misanthropic Denver doom trio that is Primitive Man are primarily known for a blitzkrieg blackened sludge approach, a ferocious, thundering sound that could probably knock over Everest on the right day. An alternate (though less explored) dimension of the band's personality however, is that of a more formless, gritty approach rooted in drone and noise music techniques. Previous demonstrations of Primitive Man's willingness to experiment with this type of approach were displayed with the 2013 P//M demo, and even on some of the shorter, interlude type tracks on Scorn and Caustic. Still though, this technique was more or less put on a much lower rung on Primitive Man's Priority Latter, with the band opting to devote the large majority of their album time to the chuggity chuggity, hateful doom approach.

Steel Casket then comes as a major curve ball from Primitive Man. Recorded shortly after Caustic when the operator of the studio the band recorded at had an extra opening, this album represents Primitive Man's most full fledged venture into their noise persona yet. Here there are no riffs, no vocals, or other traditionally metal features... simply an abrasive, razor sharp landscape of odd electronic sounds and hazy, apocalypse-inducing feedback. Thankfully, however, through the over 45 minutes of Steel Casket Primitive Man manage to display that they can certainly shift to a more free form, deconstructed approach while still make it highly stimulating and impressively diverse. There are many boring and mediocre releases within the spectrum of drone and noise music, but this is definitely not one of them. The music here twists and turns in ways that always seem to keep interest, not comfortable with staying in any one territory for too long a time. At times the sound will be incredibly harsh, high pitched, and almost too much for the ears to bear, while at others it can get a lot more mellow and melodic, while somehow still maintaining a hauntingly hypnotic aura. In addition, the sheer array of noises being utilized for the final formula is also something to be applauded. Going through Steel Casket, one can pick out the sounds of synths, guitar, shovels, hammers, and probably many more ingredients. In short, this was not an effort where Primitive Man just turned on their amps and recorded the buzz from them. Much work went into the particulars of the crafting behind this nightmarish noise soundscape.

Although Steel Casket represents a major shift in delivery for Primitive Man, at the end of the day the claim cannot be made that it isn't following in the vein of the agonizing, soul crushing music they've been providing thus far. This album is every bit as unrestrained and Hellish as their previous material, merely in a different manner. While it may not really get the job done for some due to its lack of a considerable structure to latch onto and serve as memorable, ultimately it displays Primitive Man's willingness to shift up the game and experiment with their sound, and they should surely be commended for this if for nothing else. A powerful lesson in unorthodox sound crafting, Steel Casket is a powerful release that both harkens back to Primitive Man's earlier noise demo while also transcending it, proving in the process that this band is anything but a one trick pony.

The year's biggest surprise yet in my book, and a pleasant one at that. Enter the casket.