Being an avid fan of Primordial's second album, A Journey's End, I was a bit skeptical concerning the new album due to some of the things I had heard about it, mainly the fact that the morose, dark melancholy that was the core of A Journey's End was not present on the follow up. It was that morose vibe that drew me closer to the dark embrace of A Journey's End, with songs like "Dark Song" and "Solitary Mourner" being highlights on that album for me. Without high expectations for the third and latest Primordial release, Spirit The Earth Aflame, I was set at ease within the first few moments of "Gods To The Godless", allowing me to push aside my doubts and let myself just flow with the rest of the album.

Where A Journey's End was just as its title suggests, an end of a particular journey for the band, with Spirit The Earth Aflame a new age has begun. An age of powerful epic majesty. And it is this epic and majestic glory that embodies the album's entirety, yet not completely forsaking the dark morose vibe of the last album. The self-titled intro ushers in the battle cry with A.A. Nemtheanga's spoken word ..."We have Awoken, A New Age has begun..." . "The Soul Must Sleep" harbours that deep, dark melancholic essence reminiscent of A Journey's End, Alan sounding like a prophet of doom as he moans forth his soul's desire, and the mournful lead guitar that prevails over the outro to this song piercing deep within. "The Burning Season" starts off in total blast beat Black Metal intensity, before giving way to Alan's mournful wail and the dark river that is this song's spirit. "Glorious Dawn" is accented with harsh vocals and a ferocious mid section, blasting away with Alan screaming hateful vengeance...definite album highlight. This is followed by "The Cruel Sea" which is a beautiful guitar instrumental, breaking down mid way for an acoustic section, then back to its original theme. "Children Of The Harvest" just may well be the best song Primordial has written to date, featuring an incredible intro. The album ends with a bonus track, "To Enter Pagan", an older song that has become somewhat of a cult favorite.

With Spirit The Earth Aflame, Primordial have created their most impressive album and one that will definetly be on my list of year 2000 favorites. Where A Journey's End resembled a decrepit old soul drowning in its own misery, Spirit The Earth Aflame is that same soul, now resurrected with majestic glory and powerful triumph in its heart...Spirit the earth aflame and "kindle the Fire in your soul..."

This review is credited to:
palewake