PRIMAL CREATION – News Feed

Primal Creation can Thrash with the best of them

Primal Creation is a Thrash metal act from Belgium. After reaching Wacken Open Air in 2019, their sophomore release News Feed shows similarity to Testament and Exodus rather than the more extreme sides of Thrash metal that Slayer and Sepultura are known for. The album contains strong sociopolitical critique around the topic of social media and fake news.

This is extremely dangerous to our democracy

When social media rose to prominence, it was seemingly unharmful and vain. And yet, years later, mankind has experienced bit by bit just how deep the amount of harm it can cause is. Destroying relationships, causing endless anxiety, and even birthing the term FOMO – Fear of Missing Out – social media has brought the worst of the human psyche to the surface. Cyberbullying, unhappiness born from comparing yourself to the “edited” version of someone else’s life, measuring self-worth by the number of likes you get and record numbers in teenage suicide, are all consequences of the rise of the tech overlords to power.

But it’s the combination of social media and the algorithms that power their homepage feeds with targeted advertising that has created the perfect platform for distorting the truth to the scale we have seen since 2016. Massive “rabbit holes” can be created and people get stuck in echo chambers that reflect and legitimize their views of the world while shutting other points of view out. As the intro track “Extremely Dangerous” repeats, this is extremely dangerous to our democracy.

This critique, among other related themes like the influencer phenomenon, is at the center of the lyrics in News Feed, making the record not only musically interesting but also impactful culturally. It is another stepping stone in creating awareness of the social media problem following in the footsteps of prior art like the Netflix documentary Social Dillema.

News Feed – Classic Thrash Metal with sprinkles of Melodeath

The music follows standard Thrash formulas and executes them very competently. While other modern Thrash metal acts like Shadows Fall or Lamb of God fuse in melodic elements with the core Bay Area sound of early Thrash, Primal Creation threads closer to the originals and brings in influences from Black and Death metal without ever falling into the extreme metal clichés. Exodus and Testament are both acts that come to mind when trying to describe Primal Creation’s brand of Metal.

Vocals, provided by Koen Mattheeuws after recovering from a broken hip in early 2020, are varied in style, covering everything from Gothenburg-style almost spoken, gritty singing, to full-lungs low pitched screaming in the style of Max Cavalera, to Black Metal inspired higher-pitched screeching, along with sprinkles of melodic singing here and there.

Sonically, the production is well executed, although the guitars have a bit too much midrange for a Thrash metal record – again another nod to the Gotheburg Melodeath classics like In Flames’ Clayman. Drummer Clint Dusslier pounds the drums hard, and Ewoud Herregat’s bass clearly stands out, providing not only a low-end foundation, but also throwing in extra aggression that helps the band deliver their signature sonic attack. The band is completed by the twin guitar assault of rhythm guitarist Cédric Uyttendaele and the searing leads provided by Ruben Dhaene.

Album Breakdown

Album opener “A Post-truth Order” hits you in the face with its fast-paced riffing and aggressive vocals. Despite that, there’s a certain catchiness to the chorus, which shows Primal Creation is not aiming to only turn aggression and frustration into sound, they are here to deliver great music.

“Please Disperse” pulls in influence from the Gothenburg sound to enrich the band’s sound, and executes very well on it.

Among the many thrash hymns in News Feed, “Follow the Reader” stands out with its more melodic guitar lines and creative use of mixed vocal styles.

Closer to the end of the record, “Lie – Share – Subscribe” (no typo) is another highlight with its Pantera-inspired grooves.

“The Daily Noose” closes the album with the most melodic passage in News Feed in its intro, only to return to the guns-blazing assault in the style of “A Post-truth Order”, and adding gang vocals in the chorus for good measure, covering all bases of the Primal Creation style.

Verdict

News Feed shows not only maturing in the compositions of Primal Creation, but also a devotion to classic Thrash that is a rare find in newer bands of the genre. This very political foray into Thrash Metal is guaranteed to please fans of the 80s Bay Area Thrash Metal just as much as fans of modern Thrash and Melodic Death Metal. If you’d like your Testament with a side of In Flames, this might just hit the spot.

Tracklist

1. Extremely Dangerous
2. A Post-truth Order
3. Please Disperse
4. Vial Play
5. Antillectual Disease
6. Follow the Reader
7. Watch it Burn
8. Lie – Share – Subscribe
9. The Daily Noose

Lineup

• Clint Dusslier – drums and percussion
• Ruben Dhaene – lead guitars
• Cédric Uyttendaele – rhythm guitars
• Ewoud Herregat – bass
• Koen Mattheeuws – vocals