Primordial : "How it Ends"

 It's been five years since the Irish pagan metallers released "Exile Amongst the Ruins". Their newest album finds them in the same saddle galloping toward an even grimmer horizon. In fact the end of the world is the theme of their newest effort, which should be no surprise given the title. The album starts off in the mega epic vein you might associate with this band. With Nemtheanga's vocals soaring while still full of commanding grit. I think of these guys as blackened power-metal, which the title track supports. Things get more mean spirited sneer to the aggressive undercurrent of "Ploughs to Rust, Swords to Dust". There is also a doomy melancholy that haunts some passages showing they are not tied down to the blackened power metal formula. 

The strum of guitar leading into "We Shall Not Serve" is one of the band's trademarks. His vocals touch on A.A 's lower register. The guitars race under with a cadence that reminds me of early Iron Maiden. The drummer it really breaking a sweat on this album, as he goes the extra mile. "Pilgrimage to the World's End " has a grungy doom throb to it. It builds off this singular theme to an almost hypnotic effect, which works well for this song, but when the same formula is applied to "Nothing New Under the Sun" that follows it , things feel like they went to the well one too many times with this formula. "Call to Cernunnos" has more of a folk metal swing to it, that helps break the mood up. It is done in a call and response manner, that feels more epic. 

Things take a darker turn on the more brooding "All Against All". Nemtheanga goes into more of a growl at times on this one. There are songs with a more aggressive tempo, but this feels like the most black metal song of the album so far. At almost nine minutes it is also the album's longest song. The songs end finds it droning off into throat singing, as the guitars give an ominous pulse. I like the groove it builds back up into making this one of the album's more impressive compositions. They lurch back into a more blues flavored doom shuffle for  "Death Holy Death". It is one of the most soulful vocal performances I have heard from him.

The return to the more old school Maiden like gallop to finish off the album. Granted it's rougher around the edges this time. It goes off into a more jammy section, which sounds like it would transition well live. I think this album holds up against their other work and is better than "Exile Amongst the Ruins " which earned a 9, so I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me . If you are looking for folk/ pagan metal that leans into the metal side with a classic bombast then give this album a listen.