PRIMORDIAL vocalist Alan "Nemtheanga" Averill has checked in with the following update:

"Another year nearly over and the vultures are circling.

The rain is still teeming down from the grey skies outside. The weather seems to match perfectly the recession we have plunged into, not to mention people's moods. The dole queues are growing and there is unrest in the streets. Athens could be just the beginning.

I wrote a few months ago about the death of capitalism as we knew it, or at least the days of unrestrained free marketism. Seems like we are trying to shore holes in an ocean going liner with our fingers. Or if you want another useless analogy, locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.

The elite that has made their money over the last 10-15 years have left, sold up and moved on for the large part. Now our governments are asking us to fit the bill to refinance the banks ?. Irish banks want billions to refinance but are not willing to open up their financial misdealings for the public to see over the last 10 years. The insanity of offering 100% mortgages to people never in a position to repay them is coming home to roost. Unemployment is up 66.1% in a matter of months. No doubt your country is the same. Yet no heads have rolled, no bonuses have been repaid to the state. Our government hasn't even pushed for a financial stake for the taxpayer in the banking systems future which would seem to make absolute sense. Not in Ireland my friends...did we build any schools or hosptials when we had money ?. Nope, we spent it all on over priced housing, cocaine and SUVs.

Did I say Fuck you Sarkozy before? Well can I say it again. Which part of NO to the Lisbon Treaty did you not understand. So we have two choices, one is YES and the other is LET'S JUST KEEP DOING THIS TIL YOU GET THE RIGHT ANSWER. Democracy in action my friends. I'm no Libertas advocate and I'm sceptical they are financed by American investors who would rather not see the European Union as one economic force and Ireland is their get out of jail card but the people spoke. Many countries have opt outs over certain European regulations. The Uk is not in the Euro for example. It may be ridiculous to think a nation as small as Ireland can hold up Sarkozys dream of a free market Europe without borders or cultural differences but the answer is simple and plain. We are being asked to vote on a treaty propogated by the same kind of non elected elites who have us in this economic mess in the first place. Will the results of refinancing trickle down to your average person ?. I wonder where my No Means No vinyls are...

Then again, whare the alternatives ?. No campaigners have been slow to tell us what the alternative is. Head for the hills with a shotgun if you ask me.

It's been an interesting year for Primordial. We have seen the band stumble into the spotlight now and again. Yet always feel like we are on the outside even when we are on the "inside". I doubt that will ever change. In 6 months we've gone from being critically acclaimed to godfathers of modern Pagan Metal. The irony isn't lost on me. I've done podcasts for Kerrang, shared backstages with Avenged Sevenfold, played before Poison, pissed in Beck's toilet and then again drank beer in the sun with Necros Christos, insulted jesus christ with Nifeleim watched Warning with the Germanic Black Metal hardcore and partied with trolls...strange days. I could complain but who'd listen and what's the point. Complaining about being in a band when someone is paying you to travel to new places, play your songs to new people is churlish in the extreme. This is after all what you sign up for, what you dream of at some stage. All you need is a good sense of humour a cure for a hangover and off you go into the brave new world...

Not to mention a t-shirt that no one else has...

We are gathering our strength now to begin to try and write the follow up to Nameless. Nope there is nothing written yet, we haven't even rehearsed properly but plans are afoot. It's strange, there was never any expectations on anything before other then with our hardcore fans now we have a burden on our shoulders. Where do we go after this ?. One thing is for sure, we won't rush. If it's not ready then it won't get recorded.

The first 4 albums are being released over the coming months by Metal Blade. Paul from Scald is in the process of redesigning them and touching them up and we are looking over some old videos and images to make them more interesting. If you've bought them before then we don't ask you to buy them again yet we are more then aware that some of our new fans were barely born when we made our demo and first album. Shudder...

Personally I am about to lay down vocals for not only the new Void of Silence album but also begin finally working on the the Blood Revolt project with the Revenge/Axis guys. The wheels are finally grinding into motion so expect things to begin surfacing here and there in 09...

The American tour is in the process of being sorted out. There is so much paperwork and forms to fill out but it will be worth it once the pieces fall into place. We are actually quite excited about this !, ask me again when we are stuck in Winconsin somewhere sitting by the side of the road watching our bus go up in flames...

Over and out..."