Primordial @ Underworld Club

Mael Mordha live in Athens

\r\nSunday noon found me walking up Themistokleous street towards Underworld club for a long awaited live later that evening. Primordial. I’d never seen them live before,you see, it’s something like my relationship with Ireland.. Whenever the trip was planned, the universe would always screw things up for me and I’d end up mumbling "next time..". Well this time, I was not going to miss it, even if they were giving away free barrels of Guinness on my front porch.
\r\nEven from the soundcheck, there was something undefined drifting in the air and I’m sure it was not my silent enthusiasm. Tonight, we’d be getting a taste of battle. Tonight, we’d lose our speech.
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\r\nAlong with the headliners, we’d see their countrymen, Mael Mordha and the opening band,our "own" Dead Congregation. I’d heard good things about these guys and the only thing left was to hear them live tonight, to smile thinking to myself that the Greek Death Metal scene is doing just fine. We ’re talking about vocals that you’re not very sure where they are coming from, a human with a mic or some sort of a pissed off undead creature, we’re talking about morbid guitars and riffs that slowly and violently twist and turn your insides and you can’t stop that nervous tap your foot’s doing unless the song finishes. We’re talking about well planned,worked on and executed "souldirt". That’s what Dead Congregation were about. They ended sharply and unconsciously my hand started searching for a "replay" button. Give them a visit on myspace (www. myspace. com/deadcongregation) and if you don’t get stuck with "Feasting Angelcunts", I’ll let you... slap me.\r\n

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\r\nMoments later, sitting on the vinyl couch of Underworld, I see this dude in sandals and blue paint stripes pass infront of me. Mael Mordha it is!The scenery changes and we’re barefoot, standing on green Irish land.To be honest, they were the perfect intro before Primordial. Let’s say the first dish that in a way gives you an idea of what’s about to follow, but in a more relaxed mannor. Not that they didn’t "live" the whole thing, on the contrary!\r\n

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\r\nMAEL MORDA LIVE IN ATHENS 13.04.2008 \r\n

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\r\nCeltic feel with a flute and a horn, imaginative melodies, great sound and the audience at the packed Underworld seems to love what they are listening to and seeing. When I realize that in a few moments I’ll be seeing Primordial, I panic, will they play"The Gathering Wilderness"? Will we hear "End of All Times"?? If they do play it will I be ok tomorrow and in a mental state that will allow me to communicate with the rest of the world? Well, before I got to sign off my thoughts, on stage we see Primordial and the intro becomes the huge magnet that draws the metalheads (get it? Magnet-metalheads? Ok ok,I’ll leave it..) to the stage, having us all squished up waiting for the aggressive Nemtheanga to grab us from the hair and rub our faces into the story and the tragedy of his country through the lyrics and the heavy, haunted guitars until we feel it under our skin. And that’s exactly what he did. \r\n

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\r\nOpening with "Empire Falls", from their latest album "To the Nameless Dead", their intentions become clear. They’re here to play well. So well that in the end we’ll be looking for our heads.They continued with "Gallows Hymn", "Storm Before Calm" and "Sons of the Morrigan" which is inspired by the old Irish poem "The Recovery of the Tain" and speaks of the tale of the warrior near the end of his life, raising the spirit of battle for one last time before his soul is handed over to the Gods.We heard "Autumn’s Ablaze", a more "spiral" song, there’s havoc in the crowd, hands-legs and a lot, but a lot of hair in the air.\r\n

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\r\nAnd with such songs, how could it not be that way? Continuing with "As Rome Burns" and the epic character of Primordial has started penetrating us for good that loudly and woodenly we start singing "Sing, sing, sing to the Slaves!" with the blood stained frontman which becomes one with the audience, with an angry stare and expressions so powerful that not only he convinces you that’s he is living this, but he also takes you with him..Back to "The Gathering Wilderness" with "The Song of the Tomb" one of the strongest songs of the night and I’m still silently begging to hear "End of All Times" from the same album.\r\n

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\r\nContinuing with "No Nation on this Earth" and "The Coffin Ships" takes it’s turn with a short explanation of the song and the facts it’s about.Was something like this: "Between the years 1845 and 1849 a famine ravaged Ireland and over 3 million people were lost to a combination of starvation and emigration I said once before the history of my land is a litany of tragedy and blood, these four years represent possibly the greatest tragedy the country has endured. It still hangs over Ireland and set the tone for Irish people to leave Ireland shores to the present day. The coffin ships themselves were what the ships that set sail for America in search of a new and better life were called. It’s with this song we honor the memory of this great tragedy and those poor souls who lost their lives."Until the song’s over, I’m counting bruises and I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care!\r\n

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\r\nPRIMORDIAL - LIVE IN ATHENS 13.04.2008 \r\n

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\r\nThat’s what Primordial do to you. Encore with "Heathen Tribes" and "Gods to the Godless" and Underworld is shaking from the tension, the clapping and the crowd shouting "Pri-mor-dial! - Pri-mor-dial!" (Gotta love the greeklish accent) They closed with "The Burning Season" from "Spirit the Earth Aflame". \r\n

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\r\nI, on the other hand, in an attempt to distill Primordial and the whole thing that those who weren’t there missed, will choose to close this report with this:\r\n

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\r\n"Nerve and muscle, heart and brains
\r\nLost to Ireland, lost in vain
\r\nPause and you can almost hear
\r\nThe sounds echo down through the ages..."
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\r\n[ The Coffin Ships ]
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\r\nMyra Paxinou
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