Due to the fact that Pantera was the biggest metal act of the ‘90s I understand that many, many bands were inspired by them. That’s fine. It makes sense. Immortal Dominion are one of the many bands that are living in the legacy of Pantera and it’s painfully obvious who Immortal Dominion have been inspired by. However, that doesn’t entirely take away from what they have to offer on Primortal. It’s a slab of ultra heavy American heavy metal/hard rock that knows exactly where it wants to go with a few departures along the way for the sake of variety.
Despite their Pantera inflection this album does have a few moments such as “Reanimated” or “Off My Chest” with their crushing, plodding rhythm sections. When this band really digs in they can make even the slowest breakdowns that deathcore has to offer sound like kittens playing on a trampoline. I’m sure much of this has to do with the production job of Sterling Winfield. For those who don’t know him, he’s the guy who was responsible for some of Pantera’s production, so you know it’s going to be heavy.
On an interesting side note these guys have also had their music featured in the 2007 indie movie, Teeth, so for those who have seen the movie you know that given its content it would have to be some heavy stuff.
Overall, this is a mixed bag. Some moments are awesome, especially when they get really slow and crush things, but other moments seemed half-baked and lacking in conviction. If they had more tracks like “Off My Chest,” “Reanimated” or “Empower” this would be way better. They’re heavy enough, but a single element isn’t enough to carry an album from start to finish, especially for 50 minutes.
In A Word: Grueling
