Primitive Man return after three years with the extreme, terrifying, and confrontational new album, Immersion, set for release on August 14 via Relapse Records. A music video for the song "Entity", directed by Neil C. Barrett, can be seen below.

Guitarist/vocalist Ethan McCarthy comments: “The inspiration for this video/song is a part personal experience, part Robert Johnson acknowledgment as the originator of taking the left-hand path of music,  and part from a story out of Malachi Martin's book Hostage To The Devil called 'The Smiler.' On tour back in 2014, we stayed with a guy we met named Matt in Baltimore. He had the book and I read through half of it in an evening. The story of 'The Smiler' really stood out to me and I never forgot it. Years later when dealing with mental health issues, I kept thinking about 'The Smiler' and how I was feeling as though I was entering 'a marriage with nothingness,' embracing the 'naked light' and had a 'kingdom inside of me that they could not destroy.' The lyrical content of the song places emphasis on mania and depression and how, when mixed, they can feel as though they are an 'Entity' that lives inside of you, influencing your decisions, and you are forced to watch. When you lose control and are unable to reel it back in, you reluctantly lean into the chaos. Self-harm, chaos, and isolation. The cocoon in the video represents the feelings of isolation that come along with these extreme feelings of helplessness, pandemonium, shame, and an irrational and morbid desire to let everything go to shit. Mix this in with being a touring musician and you get  the old 'hellhound on my trail' nod. But for us, it's 'Demon is catching up'."

True to the band's ethos, every moment of Immersion is overwhelming; from the sonic pummelling of the album opener "The Lifer" to the brooding, unnerving guitars whirring throughout "Entity", Immersion builds and builds. The tension throughout the record is palpable. Hair raising tracks such as "Menacing" push and pull constantly, shifting from passages of harsh doom to an endless corridor of horrid screaming, blast beats, and a formidable low end.

Adding to the album's darkness, a pervasive lyrical anxiety erodes throughout the record. A stark look at a mirror, Immersion's themes tackle sobering views on existential crises, a general distrust among another, and the current state of the world. Frontman Ethan McCarthy elaborates, "Souring your view on your existence and everything you had worked towards... allowing yourself to become possessed by the darkest parts of your mind that you have carried around your entire life and not dealt with."

True to these dark times, Primitive Man's Immersion is an introspective look into ruin and undoing. As McCarthy explains, Immersion dives into the point of no return. "Now you're a grown man and you're fucked."

Immersion will be released on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats via Relapse. Physical pre-orders are available here. For digital downloads and streaming services go here.

Immersion tracklisting:

"The Lifer"
"Entity"
"Menacing"
"∞"
"Foul"
"Consumption"

"Menacing" video:

"The Lifer" video:

 
Primitive Man lineup:

Ethan Lee McCarthy - guitars, vocals
Jonathan Campos - bass
Joe Linden - drums

(Photo - Alvino Salcedo)