July 20, 2012 | , , , | 4

Primate, Draw Back A Stump

Primate: Draw Back a Stump

What do you get when you combine the concentrated efforts of members from Brutal Truth (Kevin Sharp on vokills), Mastodon (guitarist Bill Kelliher) and a few of other dudes who’ve been around the block a bit (Javelina, The Despised)? Well, for one you get a severed limb, your crushed and shredded forearm vomiting crimson all over your brand new jeans. Secondly, you get the powerhouse of grinding punk that is Primate — one of the more aptly named bands in some time.

Draw Back a Stump delivers meaty riffs, unhinged vocals and a rabid blend of grind and old school hardcore with more than enough aggression. The title track starts things off violently with rumbling bass, Sharps’ maniacal rambling and a head snapping rhythm. “Global Division” has a classic hardcore vibe to it as the drums pound away mercilessly and the thick riffs drive Sharps barks and growls violently into your skull. “Hellbound” is one of the more contagious songs on the album, offering listeners an opportunity to join in with some shouts of their own, as well as some of the more developed lead work on the quickly flowing disc. “Drinking and Driving” has a big of a metal edge to the guitars that’s enjoyable and blends nicely with bruising hardcore base of the album.

“March of the Curmudgeon” starts off the second half of the album with some nice drum work and buzzing, rumbling bass for a few seconds before Sharp explodes with a massive growl and the guitars come in with a Mastodon-like feel. It’s a solid track that leads in nicely to another fun track, “Wasted Youth” that delivers a rapid-fire blast of hardcore. And if it’s the grind you’re looking for, well there’s only one track that’s pretty much straightforward wood-chipper blasting and that’s the 47 second “Get the Fuck Off My Lawn” — but, oh man, what an explosion of frenzied mayhem it is! It’s also a song that leads nicely into album closer, “Reform?” that’s packed with blasting drums and more grinding badassery.

All in all, Draw Back a Stump isn’t entirely what I expected, but to be honest, I have no idea what I was expecting when the thought of a Brutal Truth and Mastodon mash-up entered my feeble brain. These ten tracks are more akin to a traditional, though very aggressive hardcore sound that just happens to also have a bit of a grind influence to it. It’s a damn fun album to listen to and it blisters by in only 20 minutes so you don’t need to worry about investing serious time to hear it. Just watch where you stick your hand, you might not get it back.