8.25.2015

A review of 'Primitive Race'














What began as an idea and a Twitter account in early 2013 has now become a fully realized, truly collaborative effort bringing together almost a dozen industrial performers and producers from over the past 40 years. If Chris Kniker (bassist, producer, and mastermind behind PR) had managed to wrangle these artists onto one album and it had been total shit, it still would have been a miracle, but the fact that he managed to wrangle these artists onto one album and it resulted in a revolutionary new step for the genre is something much more important. With vocals by Graham Crabb, Josh Bradford, Tommy Victor, and Andi Sex Gang, synths, guitars, and programming by Kniker, Mark Gemini Thwaite, Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, Kourtney Kline, Mark Brooks, and Erie Loch, this could have ended up sounding like mindless cacophony, but, all these parts perfectly interlock and form one motherfucker of a Transformer.  
The programming shines throughout the entire album; bladed and intricate. There's not one track here without some great nuance and texture. The most barbed moments, however, include the filthy, desert twang of "Cage Rattler", the relentless assault of "So Strange", the ghostly, subterranean sojourn of "Addict Now", the smirking snarl of "Platinum Balls", and the huge, surging, goth anthem of "Below Zero", which serves as a perfect closer. They even find a moment to spit bile at the shitty state of radio with "DJFH".  
Specifically for fans of Skinny Puppy, Pop Will Eat Itself, Gary Numan, Prong, Blownload, Marilyn Manson, Nitzer Ebb, RevCo, and any of the other dozen or so artists and bands represented here, but more importantly, for fans of how industrial used to sound and how it could sound. Primitive Race is the same machine that's been tearing its way through hearts and minds for four decades, but with new components; sharper, and more dangerous, a meeting of industrial legends and gifted neophytes, this could be the first step towards an evolution in the genre, something every race needs to survive.
Also, if you'd prefer something a bit more electronic and a whole lot filthier than what's on offer here, chances are you'll enjoy Long In The Tooth, the 10-track collaborative EP from Primitive Race and industrial scumbag Pig (Raymond Watts). After wallowing through the three non-LP tracks and seven remixes offered therein*, guided only by Watt's trademark shit-and-gravel-choked voice, you will need a long, hot shower, still you may never feel truly clean again.
* Including remixes by Praga Khan of Lords of Acid, Brian Diemar of Bells Into Machines, Mary Byker, and more.