Live music review: Primitive Man played Empire in Austin for rare late-year gig
It can be hard to gauge what attendance at late-year gigs in Austin will be like. There are tons of shows, festivals, and other events going on in town 365 days a year. People’s wallets can run dry around the holidays, and people are spending less discretionary income. For Denver deathdoom outfit Primitive Man’s December appearance at Empire Control Room in the Red River Cultural District on December 9, a thin, but dedicated gauntlet of fans showed up to experience the slow and low, deafening spectacle of the Colorado extreme metal band. Bringing a bill that proved eclectic and all over the place sonically, the evening on Red River didn’t disappoint for performances filled with harsh experimentation and maximum cranium-shaking riffs from the headlining event.
Kicking off the night was the Los Angeles noise solo act God Is War. The sound was pulsating, abrasive, and hardly engaging at times, but this kind of experimentation can be difficult to pull off without slipping into self-indulgence. The scene at Empire consisted of your usual obscure metal crowd, black shirts, chains and all. By the lack of beers and abundance of dab pens, you knew this one was for the “back-of-the-class” types. Feeling sorry for the bartenders for the light turnout, a couple more Lone Stars were consumed than usual, and considerable tips were made. These trench fighters gotta make their overpriced Austin rent too.
Maine-hailing Blackened grindcore trio Today Is The Day came next, a refreshing change of pace for the lineup that seemed to go in many, unfiltered directions. The vocal screams reached screeching levels, enough to trigger copious feedback and further the stripped-back onslaught. For one of the more compelling sets of the night, mainly due to higher tempos and classic blast beat bursts, this one felt like it had more of a mission statement to convert some Primitive Man fans into hopefully buying some records.
Wisconsin-based ambient R&B soloist Buffalo Nichols came as the last opener, a sculptor of luscious soundscapes and a velvet voice that felt like it really shouldn’t have worked – but did. Armed with only a guitar and what appeared to be an analogue synth, Nichols controlled his own destiny throughout his performance, showing appreciation for the headlining talent and promising an impending “Punishing” experience to the audience.
San Antonio musician and venue operator Garrett T. Capps made a cameo on Tuesday night, looking onto the stage in awe as the Milwaukee musician chipped away at his meditative activity before the bludgeoning antics of the Primitive trio took over to send the night home.
For the uninitiated, Primitive Man is known for their spine-crushing, downtempo, droptuned-to-oblivion delivery. It’s a damn shame this show was lightly attended, as Sanguisugabogg and Despised Icon had a near-sold-out excursion at the fellow Red River stronghold Mohawk’s mainstage last month. In 2025, the band released their fifth studio album, Observance, continuing a blunt trajectory of black-and death-metal-infused doom strikes that come with growls so low they can make one want to grind their teeth to dust. Call your dentists, people and schedule a check-up.
Singer and guitarist Ethan McCarthy doesn’t leave much time for chit chat, allowing the chugging cuts to speak for themselves. With the 60-minute stage show dominated by Observance cuts and selections from their first three studio albums, excluding collaborative effort with noise-grindcore contemporaries Full of Hell, the low-enders saw an audience that didn’t mosh, stage dive, or engage in any significant fashion. Just slow, steady headbangs here and there. The last leg of the set came with some technical difficulties, both of which were met with more despondent, downtuned action to close out a brainstem-rupturing event.
Primitive Man continues down the road through the end of the year. Tickets can be found via the band’s website.
All photos by Justin Clark
You must be logged in to post a comment.