Trial - The Primordial Temple

Trial is a traditional heavy metal group from Sweden who I’ve been following since last year when I first heard their 2010 demo and interviewed their drummer. Back in January they finally released their debut album “The Primordial Temple” on Australian label The Coffins Slave.



Stylistically, Trial follow a similar path to their contemporaries In Solitude and Portrait, bringing forth some great 80’s style heavy metal influenced majorly by Mercyful Fate. On this album, you’ll find classic riffs, soaring vocals, catchy melodies and killer solos – all the makings of a great old-school metal record! The guitars and vocals take centre-stage, being pushed to the forefront of the mix, however; the drums and bass are very audible and drive the rhythms along flawlessly.

The songs themselves flow well together, mostly plodding along at mid-pace and occasionally speeding it up or slowing down when the band feels the need. “Witches”, the title track, “The Sorceress’ Command” and “Opener of the Way” stand out the most, to me. All in all, though, this is a killer record and I wasn’t disappointed with a single track. There are not many criticisms to be made, except that the production may seem a bit “clean” to some old-school purists and I’ve heard a few people say the vocals could use a bit more “power”, but really, that’s just grasping at straws and letting small potatoes effect an otherwise great record in a negative manner because people are picky.

“The Primordial Temple” earns a solid 5/5 from me and stands out as the best traditional metal album I’ve heard since In Solitudes’ self-titled and Portraits’ second full length.

5/5

Head on over to the Coffins Slave Webstore and get yourself a copy of the CD and a nice pretty shirt to go with it!!!