Melbourne metal outfit Primitive were riding the crest of a wave before the illness that shall not be named swept the planet.
They shared the stage with bands such as Max and Iggor Cavalera, Alien Weaponry, Psycroptic, Fleshgod Apocolypse and more, but found their hard fought momentum ripped from underneath them with the international music scene grinding to a halt.
With a sound that defers strongly to the wave of early 2000s American heavy metal and metalcore, laced with an undeniably Australian ethos, Primitive appealed to a large market of music lovers and justified their popularity with their 2017 Self Titled EP and the follow up single For The Weak in 2019.
Rather than rue their misfortune over the last couple of years, Primitive instead knuckled down with the aim of releasing a body of work when the world returned to some semblance of normality.
That work and dedication has manifested itself into the band’s latest EP With The Rats And Snakes, which is out now.
If the single and title track is anything to go by, Primitive have certainly succeeded in their goal, with front man Tim Gauci sitting down with HEAVY to discuss the EP.
"I would call it a natural progression from the last release that we did back in 2017,” he mused. “We also released a single in 2019, and I guess it is a natural progression through what we've done before. So, a lot of fast paced music, a lot of groove based stuff, obviously very guitar driven in the riffs that we play and write and it's backed by an amazing rhythm section, so there's nothing I would say that's crazily different in regards to the music that we write, but I would say it's definitely a step up in its maturity and a look into what we did but an expansion on that. In my personal opinion it's trimming the fat off some things and making sure the vocals are a little more exciting than the last one. There is definitely something for everyone who is in the heavy scene. We're proud to be releasing it and proud to show it out to the world."
In the full interview, Tim talks more about the single and why it was chosen to represent the EP, creating atmosphere and mood through music, the title and where it came from, how the songs on the EP represent the natural progression of the band, upcoming shows and more.
Order the EP here: https://primitiveaus.lnk.to/wtras