It doesn’t get any more passionate than this. The Ir(r)en (German pun Iren=Irish, Irren=lunatics, refers to an earlier Rock Hard article about Primordial, entitled ‘Sind Iren Irre?’, translated as ‘Are the Irish mad?’, relating to the bands Waken adventure in 1999) have certainly released great albums to date, but this self declared storm has certainly been aptly titled. Primordial slog their way along...with a fantastic feel for melody. And the refrains: pure goosebumps! As ‘The Heretics Age’ and ‘Sons of the Morrigan’ resound, one is brought to their knees and inclined to raise a fist in the air. ‘Storm Before Calm’ requires no time to get going. It’s the kind of album that, once you put it in the CD player, it’s hard to take it out again. Heavy Metal with a first class Irish quality brand. Brooding, melancholic yet dogged and aggressive. The guitars in particular sound unbelievably transparent, dynamic and very authentic - or put another way: better than ever before. Alan floats angelically over the riff barrage, screams, whispers and suffers for the lost souls of this world. It’s easy to forget time and space completely, and submerge completely into the world of Primordial. Very few bands manage this. Only the best. Bands like Primordial. (Graded 9/10)

Volkmar Weber