Metalcatto
In my short career as a reviewer, I’ve heard all sorts of weird, excessive, and even funny names for subgenres. However, “Paleolithic Black Metal” is a new one for me. Wyrdstæf is trying to travel in time to return to the times before agriculture. Primordial Bloodlines takes itself rather seriously, and though I’m not a historian, I’m skeptical of all these gimmicks that try to portray old times in some romanticized way. So, bear with me, I’m going to be a total snob here, or not. I slept bad!
You know, at first I thought Bloodlines would be another average Black Metal album that doesn’t really innovate on anything—the kind of album that swarms my mailbox. However, that’s what you’d think if you only listen to the first two tracks. The album jumps between Marduk-like riffs, pure folk music, and Melodic Black Metal in that specific order. The band succeeds at taking us to an ancient time of horror, superstition, and violence.
Two things are a total standout here: the structure and the vocals. The album is pretty unpredictable—not in purely musical terms, but in stylistic ones. The album jumps dramatically in no time. The vocals are as raw and primal as they can get, and there are a lot of playful arrangements with them. It’s rare to find a Black Metal album where the vocal work steals the show, but that’s the case here. Yet I also have to mention the weird things around the edges.
I know I said the changes are what keep this thing interesting, but I also wonder if the band could have taken a smoother path to these transitions. The album is remarkably short—perhaps one or two more tracks would have helped sink us deeper into the primal night. But overall, I can’t hate a project that’s trying to do something different, even if that can become rather gimmicky.
Wyrdstæf makes cave people be remembered in all sorts of heavy and evil ways. The album manages to portray those times fairly well. It might be rather strange because of its pace decisions, but I think that if you love Folk Metal or even just Folk music, then Primordial Bloodlines will give you something that you didn’t expect at all. Now I’m going to honor my ancestors by chugging a bag of chips. They would have done the same.
Label: Apocalyptic Witchcraft
Release date: September 4th, 2026
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Wyrdstaef
Country: UK
Score: 3.3/5.0
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