A slap to the face that came out of nowhere. Only this way I can describe shortly the new album of the veterans Acid Death. Not that I didn’t knew their capabilities as band, not that they haven’t released great works before, but I didn’t see that coming. “Primal Energies” is their third full-length after the reunion of 2001 and the fifth in total. And as I listen to it more and more, I believe that it’s also the best.
Their music can be described by putting together the words death, thrash, progressive, technical and metal, in whatever order possible. And no, it’s not a sloppy mess but different ideas and influences that create the characteristic sound of this band. They also don’t hesitate to experiment even more, and as a result this adds more variety to their music.
Big example, the opener “My Bloody Crown”. A mid-tempo song that is also the longest (seven minutes and more), it has female vocals for the first time and even saxophone (oh, yes) that creates a unique result. In the amazing “Reality And Fear” they use santouri (Greek traditional instrument) and its unbelievable atmosphere left me speechless. Also, “Regret/Repent” has a melody that sticks to your mind and great clean vocals by the guitarist Denis Kostopoulos.
As for the rest, they may not deviate much from the usual death/thrash sound of the band, but they all have their little details that you can discover every time you listen to them (how great is “The Rope”). The production is perfect and was divided between Devasoundz Studios (drums) of Fotis Benardo and S.I.A. Recordings (everything else) of the singer/bassist Savvas Betinis. Tommy Vetterli of Coroner also co-produced it. The cover is the strangest they ever had and it was made by the talented Giannis Nakos (Remedy Arts Design).
Since their beginning, Acid Death have been one of the most special bands in the extreme sound of Greece. They proved it with each release. Twenty years after their birth, “Primal Energies” is the greatest and most complete work they have ever released.
