How It Ends is the tenth studio album by Irish extreme metal band Primordial. It was released on 29 September 2023 through Metal Blade Records and was produced by Chris Fielding.[3][4][5][6][7]
| How It Ends | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 September 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 65:54 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Chris Fielding | |||
| Primordial chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from How It Ends | ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Distorted Sound | 8/10[8] |
| Metal Storm | 7/10[9] |
| New Noise Magazine |   [10] |
The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Gavin Brown of Distorted Sound scored the album 8 out of 10 and called the album "that not only celebrates Primordial as a band from start to finish, as well as their history and their legacy, but it also salutes everything that they stand for, and the fact that they are still here doing this after all these years must be appreciated and applauded in equal measure."[8] New Noise Magazine rated the album 4 out of 5 and said: "The first half of How It Ends exemplifies exactly what makes Primordial so revered. It makes the unlikely combination of black metal and Irish folk not only work, but seem like an extremely natural combination. Primordial was the first band to reach that conclusion, as they have demonstrated over nine albums. Here, their rebellious attitude truly shines. Nemtheanga has stated that this might be the beginning of the end for the band. If that is the case, How It Ends can hold its head high with The Gathering Wilderness and To the Nameless Dead as being amongst the band's best releases."[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "How It Ends" | 7:50 |
| 2. | "Ploughs to Rust, Swords to Dust" | 7:35 |
| 3. | "We Shall Not Serve" | 7:18 |
| 4. | "Traidisiúnta" | 2:12 |
| 5. | "Pilgrimage to the World's End" | 7:07 |
| 6. | "Nothing New Under the Sun" | 7:11 |
| 7. | "Call to Cernunnos" | 5:59 |
| 8. | "All Against All" | 8:48 |
| 9. | "Death Holy Death" | 5:40 |
| 10. | "Victory Has 1000 Fathers, Defeat Is an Orphan" | 6:14 |
| Total length: | 65:54 | |
Personnel
editPrimordial
- Alan Averill "Nemtheanga" – vocals
- Ciáran MacUiliam – guitars
- Pól MacAmhlaigh – bass
- Simon Ó Laoghaire – drums
Additional personnel
- Chris Fielding – production, engineering, mixing
- James Plotkin – mastering
- Paul McCarroll – artwork, design
- Ray Keenaghan and Feargal Flannery – photography
References
edit- ^ "PRIMORDIAL Announces First Album In Five Years, Streams First Single". Metal Injection. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Primordial release new song 'Pilgrimage To The World's End'". Distorted Sound. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "PRIMORDIAL To Release How It Ends Album In September; First Single And Video Out Now". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. August 16, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- ^ "Primordial To Release New Album "How It Ends" In September; Shares "Victory Has 1000 Fathers, Defeat Is An Orphan" Music Video". Metal Underground. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "PRIMORDIAL Announces Latest Album And Shares New Video/Single "Victory Has 1000 Fathers, Defeat Is An Orphan"". Sonic Perspectives. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Primordial reveals details of new album "How It Ends"". Rock Freaks. August 16, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- ^ "Primordial announce new album 'How It Ends'". Distorted Sound. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ a b Brown, Gavin (19 May 2024). "ALBUM REVIEW: How It Ends – Primordial". Distorted Sound Mag. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Primordial - How It Ends review". Metal Storm. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "ALBUM REVIEW: PRIMORDIAL – HOW IT ENDS". New Noise Magazine. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2024.