I have been listening to and following SepticFlesh for over a decade now. It only made sense that a new album from them on the horizon got me excited. I honestly didn’t know what exactly to expect given that Titan and Codex Omega didn’t do much to expand further in any direction than the mapped realm by Communion and The Great Mass.
From my first listen I already gathered the most important conclusion; it stays at the same level of quality like previous releases. Titan and Codex Omega were solid by all metrics, but not much more than that and it seems like Modern Primitive continues the trend.
I can’t say that I’m disappointed or anything of the sort, but I was kind of hoping that I’d see the band take a step forward somehow. I obviously couldn’t have asked for the kind of leap that was made from Sumerian Daemons to Communion.
I can’t exactly put my finger on it, or properly single it out, but there’s something about Modern Primitive that makes it altogether more refined than its predecessors. The riffs hit harder, the orchestrations sway effortlessly, the melodic lines sweep with a cursive elegance, it’s all the same thing as before ultimately, but polished better.
There are some standout moments too, which I couldn’t particularly say about Titan or Codex Omega. “Hierophant” is the first example that pops to mind. It’s by all means, a fairly generic song in terms of structure and delivery, as far as the band goes, but it’s just so hard hitting. It has this burly, tumbling, massive thing going for it in between the choruses, and then said chorus along with the orchestra makes it all rise to something larger than life.
Since I’m on the larger-than-life part of the album, “Coming Storm” is definitely worth dropping in here. It’s a rapturous, anthemic, and pulverizing song, which really shows us that while the band isn’t yet keen on moving forward, it’s still wielding that wild power with the same kind of flair, which is a different kind of assurance.
I mentioned riffs and I have to put a face to the name so to speak. “A Desert Throne” really delivers on this end with some proper mosh-pit material close to the middle of its run, as well as at the end. It’s nothing that will blow your mind, but it will blow all the fuses if you’re in that pit when it starts. “Psychohistory” is probably the best example of hard hitting riffage though, with a weird and intricate riff that feels like a callback to the one from “Sangreal”. I fucking love it. It’s the nastiest thing and it hits like a mountain of bricks.
SepticFlesh aren’t changing any paradigms in the symphonic death metal game right now. I do honestly hope they will, what with Fleshgod Apocalypse being the only other noteworthy act in the scene. Modern Primitive is an apt offering which will surely keep you going. Thankfully it doesn’t dawdle in any way, shooting a concise take, without fucking around, and finally giving us the goods.
