Primitive Man – Observance (Review)

For over 13 years now, Primitive Man have built a reputation as probably the heaviest band on the planet. What’s even more ridiculous is that with every release (here and here for example), they somehow manage to get even heavier. Their fourth full-length, Observance, is not just another descent into darkness it’s their most focused and suffocating release yet.

The band themselves described the album’s creation as an “obsession,” saying:

“The songs were written by all three of us with an obsessive focus on every component from lyrical content to ‘the riff,’ and in the process brought us to the brink of absolute madness. This is our most focused, dismal, spacious and trance-like release. As always – it remains dense and not for the weak of spirit. Do this one justice and play it LOUD.”

That’s not just talk! Observance genuinely feels like the sound of a band losing themselves in their own abyss. The short distortion ending “Seer” feels like waking up in a pitch-black cave, gasping for air with no light and no escape. Primitive Man have perfected the art of unease you’re never sure if you’re supposed to be terrified, depressed, or in awe of how beautifully ugly this music can be.

“Devotion” hits even harder. What starts as a noisy build-up turns into a nightmare of slow, grimy isolation, before morphing into something strangely melodic like a fever dream at the end of existence. “Transactional” is another standout, hypnotizing you with its droning intensity until it feels like your soul is slowly leaving your body. It’s a beautiful disaster! Music that’s almost too much to bear, and yet impossible to turn off.

Then there’s “Natural Law“, which speeds things up just to crush you again a few moments later. It’s that dynamic. The constant push and pull between chaos and nothingness that makes Primitive Man’s songwriting so uniquely terrifying. They know exactly how to build that claustrophobic atmosphere where every second feels like the walls are closing in.

Observance is not just a heavy record it’s an experience of pure suffocation. It might very well be their most intense and unsettling album to date, which honestly says a lot. In some twisted way, their sound feels perfectly aligned with the state of the world right now. Piss, shit, sludge, hate and doom. The soundtrack of our miserable lives.

For fans of Full of Hell, The Body, Merzbow, and Thou or anyone brave enough to stare straight into the void.