Primordial – Spirit The Earth Aflame (LP)

Primordial are a highly interesting band, and along the way they became increasingly distinctive. Indeed, Spirit the Earth Aflame is not an easy album to pigeonhole stylistically; perhaps the most accurate description would be “an epic, melancholic, highly melodic blend of symphonic black metal, folk metal, and doom metal, with a strong Irish/Celtic influence.” Unlike all the black metal, death metal, and folk metal bands that have been influenced by the traditional folk music of Sweden, Norway, or Finland, Primordial don’t have those Nordic leanings; the folk influences on Spirit the Earth Aflame are strictly Celtic. And melodically, Primordial don’t let listeners down. Spirit the Earth Aflame never becomes an exercise in bombast for the sake of bombast; this is metal that values musicality and intricacy as much as it values balls-to-the-wall aggression.