Primate

Draw Back a Stump

“Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death.” (Cornelius, Planet of the Apes, reading from the sacred scrolls of the apes.)

There’s no doubting that Cornelius was a fine orator. As is the enigmatic Kevin Sharp; No less poignant, however there is a contention that he could work on the clarity of his diction. Initially released as a limited run in 2011, ‘Draw Back A Stump’ has experienced an upgrade; an evolutionary overhaul if you will. Experimental control room alchemy sees the original remixed and remastered, with the overdubbed addition of rhythm guitar to enhance the primitive nature of the original recordings.

‘Global Division’, ‘Wasted Youth’, and the eponymous title track are overwhelming displays of cooperative mammalian aggression; a chest-beating synergy of grinding hardcore punk fury and D-beat dominance. It's a mad house! A mad house!

As unmistakeable as they are, there is less emphasis placed on Bill Kellilher’s lead breaks throughout this record; there are no progressive inclinations here, simply unrestrained hardcore punk. Black Flag’s, ‘Drinking and Driving’ is given extraordinarily chaotic makeover; as belligerent and antagonistic as the original, with Sharp's guttural vocals reminiscent of a bellicose auctioneer. ‘Silence of Violence’ is nothing less than fervent triumphalism; Sharps vocals here sharing a commonality with his work in Brutal Truth as the rest of the band set the cacophonous milieu.

I'm a seeker. But my dreams aren't like yours. I can't help thinking that somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man. Has to be Primate! Go look for it, reader. You may like what you find.

#Albums #Grindcore #hardcore punk #Primate #Relapse #Robin Wallace