spinelanguage

2. Primordial – To the Nameless Dead (2007)

They Made Every Monument Crumble

Where is the fighting man?

The success of Primordial is a testament to their character. Never compromising, always respectful to fans, always passionate about their art, and never ones to back down from any challenges. Constantly evolving and improving, Primordial show a dedication to their craft unmatched by any other band. Rising from a black metal base into an operatic form of metal that is uniquely their own.

Avoiding the pitfalls of most contemporary metal albums (excessive audio compression, 500 bpm drumming with no sense of groove, pitch correction on vocals, clean choruses for their own sake, and other illnesses of the contemporary scene) Primordial should be the reason why we listen to metal in the first place. The production being raw without ever descending into low-fi static, the riffs full of power without chugging, the drums actually being used as an instrument. This album finds relevance while avoiding every trend currently popular in the scene and succeeds mightily.

But there is something else about this album that makes it as compelling as it is and that is something that musicians from all genres have forgotten. Emotion. There is so much passion put into every track on To the Nameless Dead that you can’t help but be inspired by it. Whether it’s the slow dirge of Gallows Hymn or the more triumphant feel of Heathen Tribes, Primordial bring more atmosphere to one song than a year’s worth of albums combined. That’s how powerful To the Nameless Dead is.

But this is also an album with a legacy far bigger than Primordial. To the Nameless Dead opened up the Irish metal scene to the world, granting exposure to Mael Mordha and leading to the signing of Gama Bomb. But this album’s historical importance cannot even be seen in judged in light of what it did for its home country’s music scene. Its importance reaches a global scale for it is a look into the mind of an entire people at a certain point in time. Something seldom captured by music.

Back in 2007, the Lisbon treaty was proposed in which the legislatures of all European Union members would vote on whether to ratify an international agreement with the exception if Ireland which required a referendum. By the time that it came for the Irish voter referendum, the people rejected the treaty to establish a European Constitution defending the sovereignty of all European people. The Irish suffered centuries of oppressive rule under the British crown and they weren’t going to surrender their republic to a Europe led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

This album is a historical artifact that should stand as one of heavy metal’s greatest triumphs. For what greater way is there to represent the spirit if a time and place than through art. The intelligence of Alan Averill’s lyrics mixed in with the passionate songwriting of the rest of the band has created a masterpiece that will be remembered for years to come. This is the And Justice for All for the 2000s and time will vindicate the above statement. This album conquered the metal world. Hail your new masters. *

- Dasher

*In the time since this review was written, Ireland DID sign the Treaty of Lisbon.

The List So Far

100. Astarte – Demonized

99. Rotting Christ – Theogonia

98. Enslaved – Vertebrae

97. Arch Enemy – Wages of Sin

96. The Red Chord – Fused Together in Revolving Doors

95. Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Agorapocalypse

94. Cavalera Conspiracy – Inflikted

93. Susperia – Unlimited

92. Metallica – Death Magnetic

91. Sunn O))) – Monoliths and Dimensions

90. Kamelot – The Black Halo

89. High on Fire – Death is This Communion

88. Deicide – The Stench of Redemption

87. Type O Negative – Life is Killing Me

86. Winds of Plague – The Great Stone War

85. Negura Bunget – Om

84. Napalm Death – Smear Campaign

83. Tool – 10,000 Days

82. Wolves in the Throne Room – Two Hunters

81. Sigh – Hangman’s Hymn

80. Epica – The Divine Conspiracy

79. Sodom – M-16

78. God Forbid – Constitution of Treason

77. Samael – Reign of Light

76. Lamb of God – As the Palaces Burn

75.  Mayhem – Ordo ad Chao

74. Fuck the Facts – Disgorge Mexico

73. Clutch – Blast Tyrant

72. Origin – Antithesis

71. Bloodbath – The Fathomless mastery

70. Aborym – Fire Walk With Us!

69. Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor

68. Strapping Young Lad – SYL

67. Children of Bodom – Hate Crew Deathroll

66. Immortal – Sons of Northern Darkness

65. Meshuggah – ObZen

64. Dark Tranquillity – Haven

63. Emperor – Prometheus

62. The Haunted – rEVOLVEr

61. Unearth – In the Eyes of Fire

60. Anaal Nathrakh – The Codex Necro

59. Frank Klepacki – Universe at War OST

58. Behemoth – Demigod

57. Gojira – Terra Incognita

56. Deftones – White Pony

55. Dimmu Borgir – Death Cult Armageddon

54. Slayer – Christ Illusion

53. Blood of the Tyrant – Blood of the Tyrant

52. Lamb of God – Wrath

51. Sunn O))) – Black One

50. Sigh – Imaginary Soniscape

49. Arkona – Ot Serdca K Nebu

48. Pig Destroyer – Phantom Limb

47. Dark Tranquillity – Fiction

46. Testamant – The Formation of Damnation

45. In Flames – Clayman

44. Chimaira – Chimaira

43. Marduk – ROM 5:12

42. Megadeth – Endgame

41. Ihsahn – Angl

40. Mastodon – Blood Mountain

39. System of a Down – Toxicity

38. God Dethroned – Passiondale

37. Gojira – The Way of All Flesh

36. Today is the Day – Sadness Will Prevail

35. Primordial – The Gathering Wilderness

34. The Berzerker – Dissimulate

33. Behemoth – Zos Kia Cultus

32. The Red Chord – Clients

31. Anaal Nathrakh – Eschaton

30. Ministry – The Last Sucker

29. Enslaved – Below the Lights

28. Meshuggah – Catch 33

27. Dark Tranquillity – Damage Done

26. Pig Destroyer – Terrifyer

25. Converge – Jane Doe

24. Machine Head – The Blackening

23. Protest the Hero – Fortress

22. Opeth – Blackwater Park

21. Landmine Marathon – Wounded

20. Unearth – The Oncoming Storm

19. Children of Bodom – Follow the Reaper

18. Strapping Young Lad – Alien

17. The Haunted – The Dead Eye

16. After Forever – After Forever

15. Bolt Thrower – Those Once Loyal

14. Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Altered States of America

13. Light This City – Facing the Thousand

12. Mastodon -Crack the Skye

11. Lamb of God – Ashes of the Wake

10. Arch enemy – Rise of the Tyrant

9. Celtic Frost – Monotheist

8. Tool – Lateralus

7. Mayhem – Grand Declaration of War

6. The Nemesis Theory – Hypnopaedia

5. Mastodon – Leviathan

4. Anaal Nathrakh – Hell is Empty and all the Devils are Here

3. Orphaned Land – Mabool