“Silence of Violence”
Featuring members of Mastodon, Brutal Truth, and The Despised, Atlanta’s Primate is a new hardcore super-group — a furious bastard child birthed by hardcore, punk, grind, and metal. Heavy-music geeks quickly will recognize the names of vocalist Kevin Sharp and guitarist Bill Kelliher, but the rest of the lineup is no less impressive or important in crafting the band’s maiden opus.
Originally, seven of the ten tracks on Draw Back a Stump were released as a limited run of the same name by the band. Quickly realizing Primate’s potential, Relapse has come to the rescue for the rest of us, now offering Draw Back a Stump as an international release with three brand-new tracks.
Musically, the album is power chords and D-beats galore as the quintet muscles through 10 high-speed, old-school tunes in 20 minutes. But there also are touches of sludge and tinges of the south; “The Silence of Violence” has some positively Down-sounding hammer-ons and string bends. Draw Back a Stump passes in a flash, and though it only scratches the surface of the band’s potential, it’s an exciting introduction.