Style: Progressive metal, alternative metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Oceans of Slumber, Deftones, OK Goodnight, Votum
Country: Australia
Release date: 28 February 2025
Thanatophobia, the fear of death, can be a grand driver for human endeavour, or it can paralyse with terror. Perhaps it depends on how abstract that fear is: in insulated Western nations there are few imminent threats to one’s life. The inhabitants of Australia, on the other hand, have to contend with an island where every native species is actively trying to kill them. Whether it’s the venomous brown recluse or the snakes of both land and sea, ropey-muscled kangaroos, or even just a koala giving you chlamydia, everyone in Australia must be acutely aware that they might die at any moment. And perhaps that’s what drives the excellence of their prog scene. Few countries can boast a roster of great progressive metal legends like Karnivool, Caligula’s Horse, and Ne Obliviscaris, smaller, well-loved acts such as Lucid Planet, Closure in Moscow, and Voyager, and a burgeoning underground teeming with great acts like Dyssidia, Aquilus and Convulsing.
Standing out in such a scene is a tall order, so how do Perth foursome Primrose Path fare? Debut album Ruminations is rooted in a progressive take on alternative metal and gothic influences. Frontwoman Lindsay Rose has a stunning voice, her virtuosic delivery recalling the likes of Cammie Gilbert (Oceans of Slumber), and she modulates wonderfully between belting performances and softer timbres, occasionally even throwing some growls into the mix. The guitar tone meanwhile is awash in a quintessentially gothic chorus effect which lends Primrose Path a late nineties/early aughts gloss without ever sounding dated or derivative; the ultimate effect is a deft melding of modern and retro metal styles.
Compositionally, Primrose Path tend to settle on a particular rhythmic conceit—the djenty thrumming march of “Irrelevance”, the languid gazey vibe of “Unrepent”, the noodly lead guitar motifs that sachet through “Obstruct”—and roll with it, which confers a strong sense of identity to each track. Often, the songs build around their chosen rhythm to a particular standout section: “Propensity” dissolves into eerie vocals over sharp ambience leading to a heavy breakdown and angular guitar solo, and “Unrepent” features a guitar solo that has an almost muffled tone, as though being held back by Rose’s backing melodies. “Obstruct” showcases Primrose Path at their best, with a mid-section that sees Rose go positively operatic wrapped in a gorgeous guitar motif, the track bookended by a more biting riff and sense of dread. Nevertheless, the focus on song identity with usually only one moment that stands out also speaks to a lack of ambition, leading to few truly surprising moments. Ruminations does exactly what you want an album of this variety to do, but it rarely ruminates on anything unexpected.
For the most part, Ruminations is rooted in a lighter metal sound, resisting the siren call of djent, although the main riff of “Irrelevance” is built around a thrumming chug which, while a cool conceit, somewhat overstays its welcome. “Shifted” is perhaps the most successfully heavy song with eerie choral arrangements backing Rose’s vituperative growls. These two heavier tracks, however, also highlight the main production problem on Ruminations, which is that in the heaviest sections the production becomes brickwalled, diverting from the impact that these objectively cool moments should have. It’s a small but noticeable issue on an album that, for the most part, is a real pleasure to listen to, especially with gothic wash that suffuses the guitar tone at every turn.
Not wanting to fall into a cave of venomous quokkas (I’ve never been to Australia) has certainly inspired Primrose Path; to cultivate your own musical niche is one of the harder challenges for any artist, and to have it worked out on your debut full-length is an achievement in itself. While Ruminations sees Primrose Path playing it a little safe at times and needs a little more production polish, it’s nevertheless hard to deny that, overall, the particularly Australian fear of death, of every animal outside your house being able to kill you has worked its magic yet again. Beware the deadly wombat, and keep making sick tunes.
Recommended tracks: Obstruct, Unrepent, Propensity
You may also like: Recommended tracks: Obstruct, Unrepent, Propensity
You may also like: Crimson Veil, Madder Mortem, No Terror in the Bang
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Primrose Path is:
– Lindsay Rose (lead vocals, backing vocals)
– Brenton Lush (guitars, synth, keys)
– Scott Henry (bass guitar, backing vocals, synth)
– Ashley Doodkorte (drums)
With:
– Taz Gallant ( rhythm guitar on Obstruct, Unrepent, HEX)
– Herb Bennetts (drums on Irrelevance)
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