Primordial

[Circlepit]

That's right.! I'm fairly sure they didn't care for the tunes.

[Bogmetaller]

AA for me is as good a front man as you are going to get but as someone mentioned here on that documentary he really does cut across the other lads on numerous occasions. He comes across as someone who is obviously highly intelligent but is trying too hard to prove that. I actually said as much on a post on the old forum that vanished a day or two later. In fairness some lads were cutting him in two if I recall correctly.....

[Necr0rceN]

I remember the gig in the Phoenix as well. Can't remember exactly, will need Shane on here to recall, but it might have been Thus Defiled, not 100% sure, but I remember they had keyboards and were doing some fire breathing as well. Or else the memory is playing tricks. I first met the lads in Cork, might have been the gig in Leap if anyone remembers that or else in Nancy Spain's on the Sundays afternoons were superb, can't remember who it was with but it was during the Imrama demo days as far as I remember. Been a big fan since their demos but lost touch for 10 to 15 years or so. Used to buy Celtic Frost bootleg tapes off Alan back in the 90's. Always found him and the rest of the lads to be super pleasant to deal with throughout the years. In the tape trading days he used to sign off all letters with "Die Hard", Venom quote I think. AA was always the biggest metal head. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I for one am very proud of these guys and for how they portray us overseas. They are loved far more outside of Ireland that within, which is a shame. Can't say any more at how proud we all are of Michael as well to be with them so long.

[Paul keohane]

They were two separate gigs in the Phoenix that time (thus Defiled and the other Primordial), Abaddon Incarnate and Dreamsfear definitely played also,which gigs is another guess!
Was at the Anathem and Primordial gig in Leap too.

[Caomhaoin]

Shot of cognac whenever he name drops 'Gehenna'

They are not that good by the way, very puzzling why he keeps using them as a reference. It's like dropping 'blackshephard' whilst trying to contradict big Caomhaoin.

Ultimately, you'll come up short. I probably speak better French than him, and I definitely speak better metal.

I recently watched that documentary on them which was great, although Alan seems to speak over some of the boys throughout it.

I've been meaning to watch this for years, gonna get through it over the next couple of days; shot of whiskey every time Nemty says "late 80s, early 90s". On me fuckin' ear!

[Grim Reality]

It's interesting how about the time they appear to have fallen out of favour with Irish listeners (10/15 years ago) is about the time they went huge in Europe.

Maybe we don't have that kind of generic, semi mainstream metalhead scene here. The few listeners we do have being more into their niche and underground stuff?

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

The kind of Primordial fans I've randomly (randomly meaning outside of a metal context) encountered in France, both French and from other countries, have been just that kind of, as you put it, "semi mainstream metalhead". People who listen, let's say, towards the underground but aren't at all part of the underground scene, nor interested in "living the life", or whatever. Ironically, this is the kind of thing AA endlessly used to say metal was all about, but their success is measured also by their success among people for whom metal is absolutely not a lifestyle.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Just finished the doc there. Could have done with more about the song-writing procedure, which was just shoe-horned in at the end, but was the only part where the other band members really got a chance to express themselves. Simon's presentation of his style was deadly.

Definitely lost the plot about the Ireland in the 80s stuff by trying to draw a parallel to places as disparate as Serbia and, um, Birmingham. In doing so AA drifted away from what was unique about Ireland throughout the 80s; the conflicted remnants of a struggle against empire pervading the aesthetic (Bobby Sands and IRA graffiti all over town, but no mainstream united Ireland discourse, only mainstream condemnation of terrorism), of the dream of being a republic turning into a rather sad and grey reality for the hundreds of thousands of unemployed and emigrating, and so on. All this stuff is there in the feel of their albums, it's a huge part of what makes those of us who grew up through that connect to, for example, The Coffin Ships; lost to Ireland, lost in vain. Knowing life was shit, but not nearly as shit as what our forebears had been through; wanting to be bitter but not knowing if it was really justified for our generation, grey and hopeless as it seemed. That was the 80s in Ireland, and it's much more interesting than "yeah, Dublin's a bit like Birmingham." So yeah, a funny disconnect between what AA taps into as, let's say, a poet, and what he's reduced to when he plays the role of "pillar of metal heritage".

[Squigs]

Being honest, I'd say the Blood Revolt album is my favourite thing Alan has ever been involved in, Top20 album of all time for me, probably. Perfect execution and delivery in every way.

Imrama and A Journey's End never really clicked with me, maybe didn't spend the time with them, but I'd say its 10 years since I've dug either of them out. To me the Storm Before Calm, Gathering Wilderness, To The Nameless Dead run was the peak - perfect blends of the earlier stuff, with TTND showing where they'd go. The albums since have really just been a subpar rehash in many respects of the ideas of TTND, bar a few moments on WGMHF popping above the parapet. Have tried with the latest a few times, couldn't really be arsed.  A Journeys End is another where I couldn't tell you the last time I stuck it on, but its definitely an album I enjoy.

The TBMC release gig in Jan08 felt HUGE at the time. A band moving from one level to another, the hype was through the roof for it and off the back of a savage album. A great afternoon boozing with heads from Metal Ireland too.

Probably go back to The Gathering Wilderness most, a real grey October/November day album, absolutely perfect.

[Paul keohane]

The TBMC release gig in Jan08 felt HUGE at the time. A band moving from one level to another, the hype was through the roof for it and off the back of a savage album. A great afternoon boozing with heads from Metal Ireland too.

I wasnt at it,but i can remember there was a big buzz about  it,as you said it had a feel at the time that an irish band had moved up levels.First time you could say an irish crowd latched on to a irish metal band and turned out in numbers to support them.

[Squigs]

I think it sold out? Was definitely rammed, big European attendance too - that was the show that was recorded for DVD, but wasn't released bar the footage of Empire Falls. The DVD was from the following gig in January, if I'm remembering right.

[hellfire]

Wonder if they will hit the big leagues in the coming few years. Maiden and Priest are in the twilight of their careers. Slayer are cooked, Megadeth are not going to be around forever.  Consider the likes of Primordial, Amon Amarth and Behemoth taking the leap up.

[ldj]

I thought they were going to take another step up around the time Where Greater Men... came out, they were getting hyped a lot in fairly mainstream media, the album even got reviewed by Rolling Stone, and then when Exile came out it barely got any attention at all.

[Pedrito]

Wonder if they will hit the big leagues in the coming few years. Maiden and Priest are in the twilight of their careers. Slayer are cooked, Megadeth are not going to be around forever.  Consider the likes of Primordial, Amon Amarth and Behemoth taking the leap up.

No offence but them comparisons are enough to turn my stomach. 3 absolutely mediocre bands taking the place of gods of metal.

[hellfire]

Who if anyone will headline festivals and large venues in ten years?