Title: Primordial
Artist: Paleowolf
Rating: 4.75 / 5
Genre: Shamanic / Ritual Ambient
Year: 2015
Country: Serbia
Label: Self-released
The majority of the music covered in this zine (and music that I listen to personally) deals with the past. Whether dealing with the First and Second World War, the Viking Age, or ancient civilizations, the obsession with the past has always had it’s appeal to me, and this interest is also expressed by many musicians through their music. Paleowolf deals with the past, but brings us even further back in time to pre-history; when human beings lived as hunter-gatherers. The end result is startlingly effective, and the album title “Primordial” could not be more fitting.
The album begins with field recordings of birds and wild animals. Bone rattles and other primitive percussion instruments come in, before the main tribal drums begin with ritual, timpani-like performance. Paleowolf’s music in general is very heavy on these large, tribal sounding percussions, which truly add to the atmosphere. Images of ancient men in fur and animal skin clothing performing lost rites around a massive fire come to mind. Another element that really makes Paleowolf’s music stand out is the use of throat-singing. Low, rumbling throat-singing can be found throughout the album, with unintelligible group shouts, which although are not in any particular language carry a heavy sense of human emotion. Pan flutes are also used lightly to add to the melody, while animal sounds, choirs, and other pure synthesized ambient noises are used throughout.
While I have spent a lot of time listening to nature inspired music and ritual ambient, few projects have been able to connect with me like Paleowolf. The music strikes you on a very primal level, and activates feelings and instincts deep within the human spirit, instincts and feelings that we seldom acknowledge in these times of comfort and civilization. While monotheist religions look beyond the natural world for their sense of spirituality, Paleowolf utilizes the oldest (and truest) form of spirituality; one that is directly rooted in the earth, the natural world, and human beings themselves. This is music that speaks to your bones, flesh, and heart; awakening the primordial realization that spirituality does not lie in another world or a hidden occult plane beyond the physical realm, but right here, right now, at this very moment and in this very world from which we first emerged. I can honestly say that Paleowolf has created one of the most sincere and enjoyable albums that I have heard in many years. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever wanted to know what it would feel like to stalk the earth like a lion, as our proud ancestors once did.
