It’s not often we hear about bands from New Zealand but there have been a few notables acts including Tim Finn, Shihad and The Datsuns that have managed to break through and become household names. The underground however has not been something I have discovered all too well but that changed when I came across this band called Primacy.
Primacy’s debut EP “Failure And Sacrifice” is one of those undiscovered gems that is just waiting for the right people to discover it. It has all the makings of great music that is both acceptable to the mainstream but heavy and different enough to be considered underground. The band draws inspirations from a lot of the 90’s era bands that spawned the alternative rock wave but there’s something more bluesy in the sound with more groove, a strong melodic sensibility and elements of heaviness that border on the metal side of things.
The title track has a strong Alice In Chains / Soundgarden sound but with a more melodic side that kinda fits with early alt rockers like U2 or REM, the mid-tempo swing with a strong chorus is a great lead in track for the EP. But the real breakthrough comes in on “Shadeblack” with it’s bluesy intro and a hauntingly eerie mood that eventually leads into a beautiful rocker with a killer hook. There’s a bit of a stoner rock theme overall but it’s essentially a bluesy rock song that even has some fairly aggressive vocals mixed in. A far different song to the title track but one of the highlights on the EP for sure.
“Devils Cut” is the more metal track on here, a strong groove beat with some cool dynamics that reflect off the heavier riffs. “The Secret” jumps back into more alt rock territory which starts off with a drum intro before throwing down some straight ahead rock stuff. Ending it all is “Wicked Ways” which has a bit of Tool vibe with it’s more mellower mood and beat which then builds up to slightly heavier things before tapering off at the end. It never quite takes off to the sky but it does hover brilliantly above the radar for you to take notice. Which is exactly how this band is and I think given the right circumstances, we could be hearing much more from Primacy in the near future.
TRACKLIST
Failure And Sacrifice
Shadeblack
Devils Cut
The Secret
Wicked Ways
