Primitive Man / Hell – Split


Nothing beats a good split between two solid artists putting together a song or two each since we all know as music lovers, we all want new tunes! Primitive Man and Hell have joined forces on Split (Relapse) where Primitive Man brings forward two tracks of about six minutes each while Hell brings a single near-ten minute track to the table. This particular split is a great pick me up for after a long day at the office and is long enough to help soothe your head and be over before your commute home is complete.

The first two tracks belong to Primitive Man, the Oregon sludgy trio. The first of the two is called ‘Oily Tears’ and is a more straight up Doom track from Primitive Man where the tempo stays put but does not let up on the sheer weight of their instruments of agony. This helps carve out what to expect on the Split but also weaves a web of deceit in terms of what’s to come next. ‘Pitiful & Loathsome’ rounds out the Primitive Man portion of the Split and starts of similar to the previous track with thunderous percussion and matching guitar riffs. Halfway through the song everything suddenly speeds up and scare the shit out of you if you are not ready for it.

The solo project of M.S.W.’s, simply known as Hell, is up next with a killer ten-minute track. The song ‘Nuumen’ is equally heavy to that of their neighbors and partners but adds more of a Drone element that makes the track feel almost psychedelic in a sense. Halfway through, a refrain to the intro comes back and acts as a bridge for the track and also to bridge the chills back as well. The main riff then returns to close out the Split just spun way down that feels like a killer breakdown.

Having listened to Primitive Man for quite a few years now, I was pleased to hear their new material for this Split and even more impressed with what Hell had to offer in a quick ten-minute sample. This is certainly the point of putting out an EP or a split release, give the fans something to stew over in between other releases and make new fans off of the partnering band(s).

7 / 10

TIM LEDIN