Primitai never lose sight of the crucial element - that the melody is king, and that is ultimately where their strength lies.

I first became aware of Primitai back in 2016 when I reviewed their previous album 'Night Brings Insanity' for Fireworks #75. The London-based quintet, consisting of vocalist Guy Miller, guitarists Sergio Giron and Sjrdan Bilic, bassist Scott Miller and drummer Jonny Warren, now serve us its follow up 'The Calling', their first for the Dissonance label.

The excellent cover art was designed by Claudio Bergamin, the man also responsible for Judas Priest's 'Firepower' design, and the mighty Priest are also the perfect example for a comparison to Primitai's sound, along with the unmistakable Iron Maiden, Saxon et al twin-guitar references.

Exchewing the routine, high-tempo Power Metal route, Primitai are firmly rooted in the more traditional NWOBHM/Classic Heavy Metal style, yet succeed in dragging the genre into the present day with modern production techniques. Yes, there is the occasional brief foray into Power Metal and even Thrash territory, along with a definite Progressive edge throughout the excellent arrangements of the nine full songs on offer, but most importantly Primitai never lose sight of the crucial element − that the melody is king, and that is ultimately where their strength lies.

With song titles like 'Possess Me'/'Demons Inside', 'Overdrive', 'Curse Of Olympus', 'No Survivors', 'Memories Lost', 'Into The Light', 'Into The Dark', 'Tempest Returns' and 'The Calling', I'm suspecting a concept running throughout the album; I'm yet to discover the full nature of the storyline myself, but I would recommend any Fireworks and Rocktopia readers who appreciate the heavier end of what we cover should definitely attempt to find out for themselves.

Ant Heeks