Primitive Graven Image - Biography
Biography
Primitive Graven Image was formed in 2006 by guitarists and brothers Rob and Luke Lehane, out of a love for the traditional black metal style. Immortal, Darkthrone and Emperor were the flavour of the day and a six-track demo of spontaneous, infectious blackness was swiftly kicked into shape.
With just two tracks uploaded their MySpace page, the band were offered a deal and signed to Pennsylvania-based Open Grave Records, who released the band's completed demo to the press as a sign of things to come. The band's debut album Traversing The Awesome Night was released shortly afterwards in May 2007, in the midst of the enthusiasm, provoking great responses from the black metal underground and beyond in the USA, Europe, Australia, and the UK alike, putting the band on the black metal map almost immediately.
A live show of unrelenting fury was swiftly put together. Drummer Matt Platts, previously of the pre-Akercocke Salem Orchid line-up, and more recently of Interlock and Empyreal Destroyer was recruited, to be followed shortly afterwards by bassist Joshua Coxon, who took up the remaining five strings. The band's debut live appearance at Fusion festival in Chesham just a few weeks later on the 07/07/2007, saw the band pull a huge crowd, winning them over with a set of warp speed blastbeats, deranged groove, tribal fury and sheer intensity resulting in the band being invited back to headline a year later. With other choice gigs in the UK and Ireland including Cork Winterfest 2008 with Armon Amarth and Skyclad, and the UK's biggest metal festival Bloodstock Open Air 2009 with Carcass, Cradle Of Filth, Arch Enemy and many more the band began to slowly spread their dark vision further.
Working now as a fully creative four-piece, and beginning to expand on their black metal roots and discover their own sound, a second album began to take shape. Beginning in winter 2007, in a place that would come to be known as The Black Metal Farm, the band moved in and new material was written, recorded, rewritten, re-recorded, scrapped, programmed, mixed and remixed until the band caught the attention of Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir) and in January 2009 the album was taken to Parlour Sound Studios in Northamptonshire for Russ to work his unique magic upon the recordings.
After negotiating a deal with independent label Voiceprint, Celebrating Impending Chaos was released worldwide on the Envenomation imprint in April 2010 (May 2010 for North America and Canada). Diverging from the traditional black metal style slightly, the new material features influences ranging from the epic death metal of Nile to the beautifully misanthropic noise of PGI's fellow countrymen Anaal Nathrakh and The Axis Of Perdition. A dose of 70's progressive rock may just be heard bubbling away in the background, whilst chaotic thrash riffs weave in and out of melodious and highly atmospheric black metal.
The album has already generated some excellent press in the UK and overseas, with features requested by the likes of Metal Hammer and Zero Tolerance immediately, and the band is getting ready to gig the hell out of it following a successful launch show high on the bill at London's Enblackend festival alongside Abgott, Xerath and Empyreal Destroyer in May. Complete with a new bass player, simply known as "Psi", this is only the beginning for Primitive Graven Image.
The album was critically acclaimed by the metal press in Europe and America, receiving many 8 / 9 out of 10 reviews from major metal magazines as well as underground web zines. Live reviews and interviews followed from the likes of Metal Hammer, Terrorizer and Zero Tolerance as throughout 2010 and 2011 the band gigged up and down the country taking in festival dates such as London's 'Infernal Damnation' (with Alcest, Wodensthrone etc), Manchester's 'Show No Mercia' festival (with Winterfylleth), tours with Abgott and Skaldic Curse, and numerous dates up and down the country.
In early 2012 the band set about writing their third album. Pulling in yet more influences from progressive and psychedelic genres, and with some more death metal influenced sections beginning to creep in, the band's third album 'Psychedelic Episodes' was released on Sept 3rd. The band toured with European black metal legends Enthroned in sprint 2013, and toured the UK with Eastern Front in the fall.
2014 sees the band playing mainly festival dates, and the band have begun to demo tracks for their forthcoming fourth album.
(Source: official website)
With just two tracks uploaded their MySpace page, the band were offered a deal and signed to Pennsylvania-based Open Grave Records, who released the band's completed demo to the press as a sign of things to come. The band's debut album Traversing The Awesome Night was released shortly afterwards in May 2007, in the midst of the enthusiasm, provoking great responses from the black metal underground and beyond in the USA, Europe, Australia, and the UK alike, putting the band on the black metal map almost immediately.
A live show of unrelenting fury was swiftly put together. Drummer Matt Platts, previously of the pre-Akercocke Salem Orchid line-up, and more recently of Interlock and Empyreal Destroyer was recruited, to be followed shortly afterwards by bassist Joshua Coxon, who took up the remaining five strings. The band's debut live appearance at Fusion festival in Chesham just a few weeks later on the 07/07/2007, saw the band pull a huge crowd, winning them over with a set of warp speed blastbeats, deranged groove, tribal fury and sheer intensity resulting in the band being invited back to headline a year later. With other choice gigs in the UK and Ireland including Cork Winterfest 2008 with Armon Amarth and Skyclad, and the UK's biggest metal festival Bloodstock Open Air 2009 with Carcass, Cradle Of Filth, Arch Enemy and many more the band began to slowly spread their dark vision further.
Working now as a fully creative four-piece, and beginning to expand on their black metal roots and discover their own sound, a second album began to take shape. Beginning in winter 2007, in a place that would come to be known as The Black Metal Farm, the band moved in and new material was written, recorded, rewritten, re-recorded, scrapped, programmed, mixed and remixed until the band caught the attention of Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir) and in January 2009 the album was taken to Parlour Sound Studios in Northamptonshire for Russ to work his unique magic upon the recordings.
After negotiating a deal with independent label Voiceprint, Celebrating Impending Chaos was released worldwide on the Envenomation imprint in April 2010 (May 2010 for North America and Canada). Diverging from the traditional black metal style slightly, the new material features influences ranging from the epic death metal of Nile to the beautifully misanthropic noise of PGI's fellow countrymen Anaal Nathrakh and The Axis Of Perdition. A dose of 70's progressive rock may just be heard bubbling away in the background, whilst chaotic thrash riffs weave in and out of melodious and highly atmospheric black metal.
The album has already generated some excellent press in the UK and overseas, with features requested by the likes of Metal Hammer and Zero Tolerance immediately, and the band is getting ready to gig the hell out of it following a successful launch show high on the bill at London's Enblackend festival alongside Abgott, Xerath and Empyreal Destroyer in May. Complete with a new bass player, simply known as "Psi", this is only the beginning for Primitive Graven Image.
The album was critically acclaimed by the metal press in Europe and America, receiving many 8 / 9 out of 10 reviews from major metal magazines as well as underground web zines. Live reviews and interviews followed from the likes of Metal Hammer, Terrorizer and Zero Tolerance as throughout 2010 and 2011 the band gigged up and down the country taking in festival dates such as London's 'Infernal Damnation' (with Alcest, Wodensthrone etc), Manchester's 'Show No Mercia' festival (with Winterfylleth), tours with Abgott and Skaldic Curse, and numerous dates up and down the country.
In early 2012 the band set about writing their third album. Pulling in yet more influences from progressive and psychedelic genres, and with some more death metal influenced sections beginning to creep in, the band's third album 'Psychedelic Episodes' was released on Sept 3rd. The band toured with European black metal legends Enthroned in sprint 2013, and toured the UK with Eastern Front in the fall.
2014 sees the band playing mainly festival dates, and the band have begun to demo tracks for their forthcoming fourth album.
(Source: official website)