PRIMAL’S “Humachine” is a helping keep traditional Metal moving forward as a group of veteran players take on the future of humanity.
I’m not sure if it’s a true “conceptual” album but the reoccurring theme of AI, the end of the world and humanity’s struggles seem to point towards that. The songs all stand on their own as they pound through 11 tracks of Power Metal with some Thrash and Prog influences.
If you’re a fan of Deliverance, the Christian Metal/Trash band, you’ll be please to know that guitarist Glenn Rogers is in PRIMAL “delivering” some killer licks and solos. I’ve always loved his raw and aggressive approach and he’s at the top of his game here.
Alberto Zamarbide of Argentine bands V8 and Logos is handling vocals. I really like his work on the album, he’s a more melodic singer, he’s rarely overly forceful, but it blends very well with Rogers guitar tones. It makes an interesting texture of sound. Even though PRIMAL sounds nothing like Dokken, I make the comparison between George Lynch’s guitar and Don Dokken’s voice. There’s a definite contrast between Zamarbide and Rogers that works very well.
To top it off they have an extremely solid rhythm section with Jorge Iacobellis (Hirax) on drums and ‘Killer’ Ceregatti (Steel Vengeance) on bass. You can’t to Metal properly without backbone holding it up.
I would describe the overall sound as Power/Speed Metal, but you could call it Traditional or Class Metal as well. They are unique as I can’t really say they sound exactly like any other band. The production is rawer and it has a little bit of a “live” feel to it, it’s not overproduced or compressed, it’s just an old-school Metal mix.
As far as the tracks go, it’s evenly distributed with solid material throughout. The single “Warrior’s Code” was a highlight. I also liked “The Cage”, “Unleash The Madness” and “End Times” as well. I’m giving “Humachine” 7.5 out of 10 “Flaming Fists”. It’s a very solid release that brings together some great players, it’s a pleasure to hear these guys.
