When metal bands choose to season their music with Celtic folk elements, it often turns out obnoxiously upbeat and peppered with violins and whistles. Primordial has been taking elements from the traditional music of their native Ireland for well over three decades now, but the results are far more melancholic. It may help that they are actually Irish and therefore have a deeper understanding of the actual characteristics of their own folk music. They have been one of the most unique, intense metal bands of the globe for a long time now and ‘To The Nameless Dead’ might be their album with the broadest appeal.

By the time ‘To The Nameless Dead’ was released, the black metal influences that were fairly prominent on Primordial’s earliest releases have largely been limited to the atmospheric, mildly dissonant chord work. Any Primordial record after ‘Storm Before Calm’ would almost be more recommended to doom metal fans than those into black metal, but ‘To The Nameless Dead’ has many characteristics that are likely to pull in listeners who generally prefer traditional heavy metal or even progressive metal as well. The album still manages to sound like no one else than Primordial, however, further emphasizing how unique and recognizable their sound is.

Opening with ‘Empire Falls’, the album draws the listeners in with what might just be the best Primordial song ever released. With its uncomplicated, but powerful riffs, an incredibly strong build-up in tension and one of Alan Averill’s most passionate vocal performances to date, it blurs the lines between all the subgenres that influenced Primordial. Simply a strong, epic heavy metal track that is likely to please fans of Bathory just as much as people who prefer a band like Manilla Road or even Nevermore. With its 6/8 rhythm and Simon O’Laoghaire’s clearly Brian Downey-inspired drum parts, there is no doubt as to which band you are listening to though.

Many of the songs on ‘To The Nameless Dead’ are still Primordial live staples to this day and it is easy to understand why. Songs like the anthemic ‘Heathen Tribes’, the brooding ‘As Rome Burns’ – the only slowly increasing intensity of the battle cry in the middle section is simply genius – and the mourning ‘Gallows Hymn’ are simply the best representation of what Primordial sounds like. One of the lesser known songs on the album though, ‘Failures Burden’, is one of the best tracks in my opinion. It sounds relatively close to the band’s Bathory-inspired beginnings, but the chords create an irresistible atmosphere and O’Laoghaire’s time feel changes really squeeze all the dynamic possibilities out of the song.

When looking for issues, I would have to say that ‘Gallows Hymn’ arrives too early. It is one of the better Primordial songs, but due to its elegiac quality, placing it later on the album may have improved the pacing of ‘To The Nameless Dead’. The slightly more black metal-influenced ‘Traitors Gate’ is not quite as good as the rest of the album, but to be fair, that is comparing the track to an absolutely stellar set of songs. ‘To The Nameless Dead’ might be the best introductory record to the Primordial sound, as it is their most dynamic and accessible album. As accessible as an album with songs this long can be, of course.

Recommended tracks: ‘Empire Falls’, ‘As Rome Burns’, ‘Failures Burden’