by Wilfred

Let me begin by saying I was impressed by your new album.I think it has more power than 'Spirit The Earth Aflame'. It is more closer to your live performance which also bursts with energy, and the raw, more direct sound adds to that feeling. What is your own view about the production in relation to 'Spirit The Earth Aflame' and live performances?

- You are right, I think the new album has more in common with the live energy of Primordial. However if both album and live performance were exactly the same it would be a little pointless. To me Spirit is still of course a very powerful album with tracks that come across very well in the live environment but you live and learn and you get better and better at working in the studio.

In my review I talked about the British melancholy sound. It is that powerful dark feeling you get listening to music like My Dying Bride, Anathema, Opeth and of course 'Storm Before Calm'. It's in the energy and the clean, sometimes moaning vocals. If it's done sincere, you cannot avoid getting goose-bumps. Are these the emotions you try to evoke upon the listener, or is this just a bonus that comes along with the package?

- Firstly, we are not British, we are Irish. Primordial is indeed a dark metal band but we’ve never been remotely influenced by these bands, we see ourselves as having more in common with bands like Bathory or Candlemass. We are passionate people making passionate music is the simple answer.

Being a fan of old black, dark and pure raw metal myself, I think that you bring the ultimate essence from all these styles and mix them together to form pure metal that truly can be called 'primordial metal'. Back to the roots of what it's all about. Do you think there are more bands out there that can say they have created their own metalstyle lately?

- Not so many in this day and age in my opinion, I think we are a really unique band in today’s scene. No one sounds like us and we don’t sound like anyone. We have influences but we don’t try and rip bands off, we never did. We are inspired by Bathory but we never wanted to sound like them. We just try and do as we please and let other people label us if they must.

The first time I saw you perform live was on the Viking Clash Tour. It was one of those few occasions I really was impressed by a band I knew little about. It made me buy your CD right after the concert. Do you sell a lot of albums at concerts?

- I think we have a strong live performance and it is true we do seem to sell quite a few cd’s etc at shows. People are usually quite surprised at our live performance.

The intensity of your performances is of an order you rarely see in bands that have such a long history. Is it hard to reload the battery and go all the way on such a long tour with emotionally filled music like that of Primordial?

- It is hard, but a great challenge. I could not stand on a stage and do things in half measures, that’s just not the Irish style. We are not complacent when it comes to playing live. One tihng we understand very well is that , any bands loose their energy over the years… We try to keep it burning strong.

Some bands have lyrics about mutilated dogs, satan or being true. When I read your lyrics it reminded me more of poetry. The influences of your Irish culture and history are evident, but do you wite about your own experiences and then fit them in the historical view, or are the lyrics pure fiction or history?

- Nothing is pure fiction, I am interpreting very real issues in an artistic way, sometimes with a historical, allegorical slant, sometimes with direct references to culture. I am influenced and inspired by many things, I try to keep it as open as possible and not analyse it too much.

The Irish culture also shines through the riffs and of course the use of ancient instruments add to the ambience. Did you grow up listening to a lot of Irish music? In the booklet you talk about history and culture, and that we're writing history as we speak. Is it also your goal to remind people that your roots do matter and you must never forget where you came from?

- Exactly, to understand why you are who you are, why you stand where you stand, to find your roots. Uncover your heritage and history, connect with your culture. In the band we all grew up differently and bring different Irish inspirations to the band, it is of the utmost importance that we relate to our culture this way. To find you’re place within the vastness of deeds and actions.

Your Albums always look very appealing and are worked out real nice, as with 'Storm Before Calm'. Did you have any influence in the artwork as it was made and did it turn out the way you hoped it would?

- I was pretty short of inspiration for the new one and a few ideas didn’t work out and in the end I was looking at our first album cover and decided to take the eye from inside the logo on “Imrama”…symbolically it means something deeper and is also eye catching and easy to relate to.

What do you find more satisfying; the finishing of a great new album, an intense concert in a medium venue filled with fans or playing on the main stage on Wacken, and why?

- A concert, surely. That’s what I personally live for….it’s a high like nothing else.

I cannot wait to play 'Storm Before Calm' when it's fall or winter. Albums like these for me are at their best when the weather is dark and gloomy. Do you have any favourite albums you play in a certain season, and why?

- Storm will make more sense on a Dark, stormy, brooding October night that’s for sure. When the seasons change I do shift more towards doomy music a lot, last Winter I was listening to bands like Shape of Despair, Devil Doll, Sopor Aeturnus, Mourning Beloveth, My Dying Bride, Anathema etc. It’s natural.

I would like to thank you for wanting to do this interview and once again complement you with an impressive album. I wish you all the luck and hope to see you this year on Wacken.

- No problem, thanks for your time and patience. We’ll meet you on the Field of Battle.