Review by Adam M on July 19, 2015.

This is a very solid promo in the vein of Falloch. There is a large post-metal aesthetic to Sisters Of..., though it is covered up by huge metallic riffs. This makes for an album that puts poignant emotion ahead of the rest of its elements. The instrumentation takes centre focus and makes up for the lack of vocals present. Through soundscapes, the band is able to craft their vision.

This is one of the most atmospheric entirely instrumental albums I’ve heard in some time. When there are vocals, they are subtle, in the background and complement the remainder of the music efficiently. The music on this release is all about dramatic atmosphere and not overly focused on the singing. Right from the track, The Adversary, one can sense the dense mood that this band surrounds itself within. This particular song recalls some of the more instrumental work of Tool (particularly in the bass work) and stands as a strong springboard for much of the other material on this album. The next song continues on a similar tangent before the album diverges into a number of areas that showcase great use of stylistic elements.

One of the great things about the material here is that it’s constantly changing and seeking new avenues of emotion. Also, there is a build up towards the later portions of the album meaning that a climax is definitely reached. There is a flaw in that the album is somewhat short and some of the items could have been developed even further. Luckily, the last song on The Serpent, The Angel and The Adversary is the superior Leva In Mare. This track is arguably the finest one to be found here and closes things on a high note. Overall, the release is a quality entry into the atmospheric metal genre.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on October 6, 2021.

Nuclear Revenge popped up with their debut in 2019. It was no groundbreaking work, but a really cool album with fast-paced torpedoes at the interface between thrash and black metal. With that said, I gladly received the news that they return with their second full-length. Dawn Of The Primitive Age does not show a new side of the Basques. Instead, they stick to their guns. The word “primitive” often has a negative connotation. So one might say it does not describe the songs fittingly; nevertheless, the band concentrates on simple, straight and speedy outbursts. Unfortunately, some tracks suffer from a few details. For example the opener loses a lot of its strength as soon as the feeble solo sets in. Inter alia 'March Of The Undead' shows that they can do better solo parts.

Nuclear Revenge sound nasty, evil and restless. In 'Dust', the nagging vocalist invites us to “f**k off and die” and this can be understood as the quintessence of his performance. The mangy guitar tone seems to be borrowed from a raw rehearsal tape of old Possessed. It dominates the sound without offering an overdose of variety and therefore the album is not totally immune against monotony. Moreover, the drums and especially the bass guitar have to struggle in order to be heard. Nevertheless, the sheer aggression the mix develops is pretty impressive and aggression is exactly the feature this kind of music needs essentially. I freely admit that I cannot identify an outstanding highlight, but I guess that’s both a blessing and a curse. Maybe with the exception of the opener, all songs reach a more than acceptable quality level. And, by the way, the ten tracks show that the band does not run out of ideas. Guess we all know a lot of albums where this is exactly the case.

If I would be forced to pick out a single song, I would select the epic 'Eyes Of Revelation'. Its riffing at the beginning promises tension and the following speedy rhythms do not disappoint as well. But you must know that the term “epic” must be treated with caution in this context. Be that as it may, this tune illustrates that the dudes are able to present strong mid-tempo sections, too, because they can mostly rely on the expressiveness of their riffs. So from my point of view, Dawn Of The Primitive Age is a good full-length of an honest and likeable formation, no more, no less. Maybe it’s not relevant for some groups of metalheads, but it deserves the attention of every curious black thrash maniac. Hopefully it does not drown in the flood of metal releases we receive every week.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10