Transparently dark and forbidding
Since the mid-1980s Chicago, Illinois has proven something of a dark horse entry within the greater North American death metal scene. Though arguably less prolific than the ones that sprang out of Tampa, Florida, and the New York area, it has proven a formidable and enduring player, spearheaded by the seminal works of Master, Death Strike, and a couple of other noteworthy projects tied to bassist/vocalist Paul Speckmann.
In recent years, the tone and tenor of the windy city’s approach to sonic brutality has taken on a side venture into the dank and bare bones stylistic template pioneered by England’s own and sadly defunct Bolt Thrower, with the likes of Kommand and Bear Mace making some sizable splashes in the death metal underground.
The latest and arguably the closest to an outright tribute band to adopt the auditory standard of Warhammer 40k set to death metal is a trio going by the name of Primal Code, and their debut studio outing “Opaque Fixation” is a dead-ringer for what the metal masses have been missing since 2005’s “Those Once Loyal.”
Opting for more of a generalized lyrical pursuit of apocalyptic and nightmarish themes rather than the specific themes and conceptual storytelling of their inspiration, Primal Code’s handiwork is a distilled dose of forceful rage in a concise and streamlined package. Vocalist/guitarist Gene Marino’s blend of guttural growls and hardcore-infused shouts blend seamlessly with a sludgy and straightforward riff set to paint a canvass of utter bleakness that instantly recalls the glory of the style during its early 90s ascent.
Drummer James Farn provides an equally integral contribution to the dreariness and fatalism of these songs with a thunderous yet controlled stream of chaos, playing heavily to the crust punk influences upon this side of the death metal coin. Yet the true murkiness of this outfit’s power trio arrangement can be credited to the swampy and distorted bass work of Will Lindsay, who arguably brings the greatest level of experience to the fold given his past stints with Wolves In The Throne Room and Abigail Williams, and definitely reaches all but to the depths of hell itself to provide these songs with their immense bottom end.
From beginning to end, this album is a consistent display of how less is more, though this applies more so to the number of notes employed than it does to the degree of force that comes with them. After kicking off with a 37-second prelude of ambient guitar feedback and distorted bass noise simply titled “Intro”, what follows is a consistent display of slow-progressing, almost minimalistic songwriting draped in a dense, marshy atmosphere.
The driving swiftness of banger entries like “Anapside” and “Hive” recall some of the faster entries of Bolt Thrower post-“Realm Of Chaos” with some occasional hints of Entombed’s slight flirtations with death ‘n’ roll on “Clandestine,” while the driving fury of “Terminal” all but crosses over completely into the muddier end of the Stockholm death metal sound altogether.
The doom-laden turned high-octane crusher “Derelict” presents the closest to an outright death thrashing experience, tearing up the airwaves like a less technical answer to present-day Cannibal Corpse, while the even more drawn-out beast “Extinction” accomplishes a similar feat while leaning harder into the groove-driven side of things.
In every respect, this is an album that discovers the most varied way of working with an extremely limited toolset, though ironically the strongest entry of the bunch is the most stripped down, namely the highly concise and infectious “Totem” that exemplifies the closest that old school death metal can get to sounding catchy.
One might go so far as to conclude that the only thing wanting in an album like this is originality, and there is something to be said for the growing number of younger bands emulating sounds that were codified more than 30 years ago. Then again, any death metal fan worth their salt would also note that Bolt Thrower’s studio output was comparatively sparse to most of the prime movers, even when considering a respectable 4 albums showing in the same basic style by Karl Willetts’ subsequent band Memoriam.
If nothing else, Primal Code has put together something here that can make the nearly 20-year absence of the original sting a lot less and something that can stand on its own amid a crowded field of newer bands playing in the old style. For those still hungry for brutality removed from all the technical wizardry and studio gimmicks, “Opaque Fixation” is a sonic delicacy that fits as well into 2024’s retro death metal craze as it would have 3 decades prior.
Released By: Relapse Records
Release Date: November 15th, 2024
Genre: Old-School Death Metal
Musicians:
- Gene Marino / Guitars, Vocals
- Will Lindsay / Bass
- James Farn / Drums
“Opaque Fixation” Track-Listing:
- Intro
- Anapsid
- Totem
- Derelict
- Hive
- IWL
- Extinction
- Terminal
- Angler
- Stuck
Order “Opaque Fixation” HERE
Joining a rich tradition of death metal purveyors from the Chicago area, three musicians with an eye for the rugged brutality and simplicity of Bolt Thrower unleash a comparably formidable homage to the British extreme metal icons in question with zero punches pulled
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Songwriting
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Musicianship
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Originality
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Production