UK metal troupers Primitai have been extant now for some thirteen years, and although this is only their fourth full-length release they surely now deserve the soubriquet ‘veterans’. That’s not a criticism or a bit of snidey carping, by the way; all that experience has been poured into making Night Brings Insanity the best it can be – and that’s pretty good indeed, an album certainly not the work of johnny-come-lately dilettantes or glory-hunting bandwagoneers.
Even at its best this album doesn’t quite touch the grandeur of the outstanding Holy Defender from the band’s 2013 effort Rise Again, but overall Night… is a more cohesive, more satisfyingly damaging record than Rise Again, thanks in part to a tightness in execution that puts Primitai in the top drawer alongside bands that would previously have been thought of as ‘influences’ rather than ‘peers’, but also by pure joie de vivre and elan, the sort of elan that truly marks Primitai out as a band that races ahead of the pack rather than tagging along for the ride.
Tracks like Black Rider and Savage Skies are pure joy for the ears – at least they will be if you’ve got similar ears to mine – with vocalist Guy Miller and guitarists Srdjan Bilic and Sergio Giron forming a classic metallic triumvirate in the best traditions of Tipton, Halford and Downing and Tate, DeGarmo and Wilton, whilst the more considered but no less devastating Conclusion Forgone features some nice work from the band’s new engine room of bassist Scott Miller and drummer Jonathan Warren.
However, wherever you drop the needle there’s something to enjoy, and whilst the afore mentioned Savage Skies and the title track have a more power metal-bent to them, Primitai’s NWoBHM predilection is still the dominant flavour you’ll taste here, especially on complex, satisfying tracks like album closer Brace for Storms. Elsewhere Power Surge brings to mind mid eighties Gods Marshall Law with its maelstrom of staccato riffage, fleet-fingered soloing and melodious chorus, whilst the more thoughtful Conclusion Forgone allows the listener a breather with it’s Lizzyesque opening guitar lilt without sacrificing any power or, indeed, enjoyment.
So once again Primitai show that they’ve really got it in their grasp to make big strides towards the top of their chosen tree, with an album that won’t fail to bring enjoyment to any and all who come across it. Nice work.
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