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"Storm Before Calm" is an odd disc in Primordial's history. This is a disc very much in a Black Metal vein, harking back to the band's earlier sounds. You would expect this to come before "Spirit The Earth Aflame", not after, but it does. Here it sits, between its epic predecessor and the even more epic and melodic "The Gathering Wilderness."

This is Primordial taking a step back into dark, hard-edged anger. There are some killer songs here, like the vituperative "Cast To The Pyre" and the massive riff-fest of "Sons Of The Morrigan". Nemtheanga's vocals are much harsher than on the much cleaner "Spirit...", and he rasps and bellows his way through this album with his trademark emotion and charisma. The songs here are largely more simple and direct, without the sprawling feel of most of the band's recent works. The huge, epic riffs are still here, but they are in service to mostly more stripped-down arrangements.

This is certainly not a bad album, but coming between two albums that took the band in a different direction, this disc is a sort of atavism. A throwback to a rawer time. I like this album, but in context I kind of wonder what it's doing there. Still, an excellent album that only pales in comparison to other Primordial works.