By Jonny Bakes
We all know that the sophomore album carries a bit of a stigma for bands. It’s the time where you’re trying to continue to woo those fans who have been on board from the debut album but also trying to win a larger legion of fans. All this while generally still finding your feet as a band is a lot to juggle but it’s a hurdle all bands have to go through after all. Now there’s every chance that you won’t have heard of Swedish hard rockers Primal Instinct (unless you pay close attention to our Singles Club!) so the important question is: will their sophomore release ‘Devastation’ get you hooked?
Two years after the debut release ‘Terrified’, these guys return with their blend of modern metal and hard rock taking elements of floor filling metal anthems and combining them with a blues-tinged hard rock sound to give something that is infectiously catchy and energetic. It’s a formula that’s pretty simple but it is one that is used to great effect. With ‘Devastation’ Primal Instinct have really grown into their sound to become strong contenders in the European circuit for sure. In particular, Simon Jansson’s vocals have developed into a consistent aggressive gravelly shout while the rest of the band around him have got even tighter and are playing harder and faster than they have before.
Overall ‘Devastation’ carries some serious aggressive energy and has managed to really get under my skin. There are a good few tracks that are insanely catchy, like leading singles ‘Jackalopes’ and ‘Barcode’, and others that are balls-out crushing anthems that would fill the dance floor of any self-respecting rock bar. There are some clear influences from some of the titans of modern metal, in particular there’s some pretty strong hints of Lamb of God and Machine Head and possibly even a little bit of Coal Chamber hidden in there too. To be able to really capture the spirit of these bands you need some serious guts in your rhythm section, and fortunately for these guys they have an absolute powerhouse laying down the foundations in the form of Christer and Micke Lennartsson.
One of the tracks that stood out for me was ‘The Torch’ with it’s heavy groove that kept me coming back for more. Or maybe it was the brief breakdowns that made we want to immediately listen to Machine Head’s ‘Davidian’ afterwards? Either way, ‘The Torch’ is a beast of a track that deserves to stand out and get some serious attention. Primal Instinct have released quite a few tracks in advance of the album, but this one hasn’t been one of them making it a nice surprise hidden away in there.
But it’s not all heavy business for Primal Instinct as they show with ‘Crossroads’ which is a predominantly mellow blues number showing off some great sliding acoustic guitar work. Not only is it a chance to show off the guitars, it’s also an opportunity for guys to show off some clean melodic vocals to accompany this classic blues tale of meeting the devil down at the crossroads. This is a bit of an anomaly when compared to the rest of the album and it’s almost as if the band are saying “you fucking bet we can write a solid blues track as well.”
Well, I’m pretty sold on this album, so much so that I must have listened to this album dozens of times already! The influences of those big metal bands make it instantly accessible and makes me long for a night of smashing beers in a sweaty rock club. ‘Devastation’ could almost be what you would be left with if you took all of the ridiculous teenage angst out of Five Finger Death Punch. However the key difference between Primal Instinct and FFDP is that I *really* like Primal Instinct! Overall, I reckon that this album will have a pretty wide appeal, particularly appealing to fans of the likes of Machine Head, Lamb of God, Fear Factory, DevilDriver… the list goes on. This is definitely worth a listen and if Primal Instinct continue on this trajectory, I can see them becoming contenders for a slot at Download Festival within the next few years.
- ‘Devastation’ is released on 27 November. You can get your copy HERE.
www.facebook.com/Primalinstinctband
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.