PRRIMO, THE

Prrimo, the is the debut release by Argentinian progressive/ experimental metal act. Prrimo, the is a 3 track EP with a playing time of 22:26 minutes. The band is a power trio consisting of Raul on guitars and vocals, Pablo on bass and Backing vocals and Marcos on drums and backing vocals. The EP is free for download on the band´s official homepage and on their myspace.

Random mixes alternative rock/ metal with technical modern metal/ thrash metal. Bands like Tool and Meshuggah comes to mind more than one time during the playing time but Random have quite a unique sound that sets them apart from their influences. The vocals by guitarist/ vocalist Raul are really strong and varied too. He is able to deliver both alternative clean rock vocals, rough metal vocals and really raw distorted vocals. He is one of the rare breed of extreme metal vocalists who are able to deliver really raw vocals yet sounding melodic at the same time. The three songs The Most Pleasent Nightmare, Walk The Twisted Line and Expressive Logic are all high quality compositions. Filled with adventurous ideas and playing. One moment we´re treated with some mellow alternative rock and the next we´re smashed in the face with a load of angry sounding heavy thrashing riffing. Add to that some brilliantly played technical sections and you´re just about there. The samples in Expressive Logic work really well too and add great atmosphere to that song.

While the vocals, as mentioned above, are a real treat IMO, I won´t forget to mention the outstanding musicianship. We´re talking some really accomplished musicians here. Not only do they know their chops ( and probably in their sleep too) but they are excellent composers as well. They strike the delicate balance that is so important when you mix alternative rock/ metal and extreme metal. I´ve heard tons of acts that does the same thing but many come off sounding like weak emo thrash/ metal ( and yes that´s a bad thing in my world). Random are very different from that scene and not only do they show lots of muscle but they also show lots of brains too ( Just listen to the opening riff in Walk The Twisted Line for proof). In other and more vulgar terms Random are capable of kicking your ass while challenging your mind at the same time. Just my type of music.

The production by Ramiro Rodriguez is really impressive too. This has got to be one of the best productions I´ve ever heard on an independent release. Fully on par with some of the better studio productions by signed acts.

Prrimo, the is an outstanding first release by Random and I will chose to not just call it promising. This EP is EXTREMELY promising. Such a high quality product commits though and I expect to be greatly impressed by the debut full-length studio album when that is released. For now Prrimo, the has been one of the best surprises I´ve had in a while and it´s hard to imagine that the EP comes as a free download. If there´s any justice in this world Random are bound to be signed very soon and given the opportunity to release their debut album on a label with international distribution. A 4 star rating is well deserved. Now go download and spread the word.