If God took the seventh day off for some rest, then Satan was hard at work piecing together Denver, Colorado’s Primitive Man. The nihilistic and tortured sounds encased in Caustic (Relapse) are the proof you need that the devil is not only kicking but that his influence is still very much among us. Approach this beast on your own accord, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This is the heavy metal that Tipper Gore was inadvertently warning us about.

Monochrome is likely going to be the best working term to describe what Primitive Man is up to on their second LP. There isn’t much in the way of variety on tracks like ‘Commerce’ and ‘My Will,’ but these boys understand how to maximize their finite palette. The former wages war on your senses with endless guitar bombardment for 12 minutes while vocalist ELM reminds us that “Your essence is dead but slavery is forever.” Thank you, sir.

‘Victim’ is one of the few moments in which tempos are allowed outside of steamroller pace (albeit briefly) setting the stage headbanging guitar chug that you can ride until the end of times. ‘Tepid’ has enough feedback and crunch to catch Jimmy Bower’s attention. It’s the type of song that makes you wonder if it’s possible to go past the point of no return in terms of amplification. ‘Sterility’ also dares to venture into some thrash-oriented landscapes, but those lightning riffs are quickly mutated into granite slabs of solid doom.

 

To the brave and up for the challenge, Caustic is a journey worth taking. With that out of the way, you have been informed. Pack a lunch because you’re going to be here for a while as the disc clocks in at way over an hour. Once again, not a bad thing, but I could do without ‘Absolutes.’

The devil is alive.

8.0/10

HANSEL LOPEZ