Published by Davide Pappalardo on February 2, 2018
Primitive Knot is a highly unconventional post-punk/psychedelic/occult project haling from Manchester (UK). It started in 2015 with first album simply named 1, where it already showcased all the elements that characterize Primitive Knot sound: dark and post- punk tendencies, hypnotizing passages with spacey electronics and cosmic soundscapes, and a ritualistic mood with deep occult roots. The formula has been experimented upon during the years, giving us dreamy tracks like To a fiery tempest hurl’d or droning moments like the aptly named Doom I, but always maintaining the aforementioned evocative atmosphere. Disciplines of the black sun (2016, Ritual Void) redefined even better the qualities of the project, enhancing both the “catchy” aspects of Primitive Knot, both its dooming and cosmic undertones.
Now we have Decanting the dream-gore, a cassette made of eight tracks where the sound of Primitive Knot further evolves becoming somewhat more menacing, aggressive and focused, enriched by effected vocals with growls remanding us of a punkish take on black metal (late Darkthrone and the muddier Celtic Frost are not very far, just like the more aggressive moments of Killing Joke). Something supported by the usage of distorted guitars and obsessive riffing and by the lo-fi production. The result is a fascinating “world-in-between” where the common grounds between extreme metal, post-punk, and space/psychedelic rock are explored without any fear.
Death mists of g’harne welcomes us with its ambient drones and grimy keys, underlined by slow rhythms and ritualistic drums, but the title track goes on full attack mode with high-speed riffs and cold refrains, while vocal reverbs saturate the dark atmosphere. The same mood can be found in Into the forest of knives, a full throttle moving between frantic guitar loops and sharp, noisy static electronics, while Howl of rebirth retains the “necro” aspects of the sound, but in a more lisergic and out-of-this-world way, mixing them with spacey loops and vintage effects.
The album is closed by Vanishing the sacred lamp, a dark ambient affair with funereal, looping drones and eerie effects, a hypnotizing mantra meant to catalyze the occult aspects of the project as a purposeful finale closing a circle. The somewhat mysterious nature of the tracks is here maintained, giving us the idea of the ending of an arcane ceremony.
It’s not easy to frame the sound of Primitive Knot, built more on suggestions and ideas, than styles and rules. Of course, the shadows of the genres mentioned during the review are there, but they concur to a personal vision dominated by a clear mystic theme assisted by evocative sounds and murky, hazy soundscapes. The result is something at the same time familiar and new alike, music without imposed limits: recommended for the listener wanting to immerse himself in an engaging listening experience.
Label: Ritual Void
Rating: 8