1 Primitive Man / Northless Split See Details for Primitive Man / Northless Split

Primitive Man out of Denver open this split up wide with a gaping wound of a 15 minute track. My guess is that this is the more familiar of the two groups to most of you. Primitive Man garnered quite a bit of attention for its LP Scorn, as well as a series of EP's a tracks, one of which we just reviewed last year. If you haven't heard them yet, now is as good a time as any to learn about one of the underground's biggest heavy-hitters.

True to form, Primitive Man take things slow and maintain their reputation for repugnant, simple song titles with "Empty Husk." The expansive experience is like to falling into a dark void through layers of oil and molten rubber. It's a joyless, suffocating, and intrusive affair. Play that scene from Fight Club where Jared Leto get's his face smashed on slow-mo and you have the perfect music video for this track.

"Empty Husk" largely keeps in the same vein as previous releases: gutteral bellows of blackened death, endless sustains of downtuned guitars and bass distortion, and plenty of jarring feedback. I will say that I did note a slight shift in aesthetic about halfway through, allowing room for a touch of sorrow in addition to the boiling hatred. The result reminded me of the harsh melodies of Indian. All in all, solid track.