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Are you ready for some classic Doom? Then grab yourself of a copy of Primeval Realm's debut full-length Primordial Light and prepared to be crushed. The foundation on which Primeval Realm build their sonic temple is Black Sabbath's slow, fuzzy-yet-melodic riffs and rib-rattling bass. The sound may hearken back to the 70s (and even 60s) with acoustic guitars, Hammond organs and flutes, but the production is thoroughly modern. Think Jess and the Ancient Ones, minus most of the psychedelic rock vibe, mixed with the oppressive heaviness of Cirith Ungol and you'll start to have an idea of what Primordial Light sounds like. I like how the band stays true to the slow riffing of the pioneers yet isn't afraid to speed things up on occasion. The solo section of "Black Flames & Shadows" picks up the tempo in the same way Sabbath let loose at the end of "Black Sabbath." This song epitomizes the somber, grim atmosphere that Primeval Realm creates so well. The rest of the album maintains this atmosphere unabated until the very end, when the instrumental "Primordial Light...Departure" lightens things up, but just a little.

Primordial Light is a fantastic debut from a band that, sadly, has already thrown in the towel (according to their Facebook page), leaving a ton of potential untapped. Fans of Briton Rites, Jess and the Ancient Ones and, of course, Black Sabbath will definitely want to check out Primeval Realm.