Primordial was definitely one of the bands that we were looking the most forward to at this years’ Copenhell line-up. More than that, they were one of the major black metal players on the field, and as such, they were anticipated by many of the festivalgoers!

“Good evening, how the fuck are you doing? Welcome to our first time ever in Denmark!”
- Alan ‘A.A. Nemtheanga’ Averill (vocals)

Yes, Primordial was awaited by many, as was evident on the large crowd gathered at the Hades stage a bit past 9 pm, when they were set to go on. The time was a good one as well, even though more darkness could have lifted the mood even higher.
As it were, Dark Horse On The Wind from the Season Of Mist compilation was used effectively as an intro, and as the stage was bathed in smoke, the band walked on and went straight into Where Greater Men Have Fallen. It was quickly apparent that the audio side of the gig was well planned, as the sound was well balanced between the vocals and all the instruments; if anything, it could all have been a bit louder, but given the choice, I’d rather have it sound good.
The visual side however, wasn’t as well put together as we are used to. Primordial’s concerts rely a lot on the charismatic and theatrical performance of their frontman, but with the large amount of smoke someone was constantly pumping out, it was hard to get a good view, both of him and of the rest of the band.

Despite this, the band pulled of a very good performance, and the Copenhell crowd wasn’t above letting them know it. While being quite calm, people still shouted out their appreciation loudly between the songs, and some headbanging was also taking place during them.
The setlist wasn’t very long, but Primordial presented quite a few of their live staples and hits, and they were focused in their delivery. This of course meant there wasn’t much talking in between songs, but there was enough to let us know this wasn’t another night at the office, and in the end, more time for music is hard to argue with.

Primordial didn’t have the time to fully realize their potential at Copenhell, but it was enough to give us a taste of what they have in store, and show that Denmark is willing to see more of them. Now we can only hope that the band follow up on A.A. Nemtheanga’s end comment that we will see each other again.

Setlist:

Dark Horse On The Wind
Where Greater Men Have Fallen
No Grave Deep Enough
Babel’s Tower
As Rome Burns
Bloodied Yet Unbowed
The Coffin Ships
Empire Falls