To have an atmosphere is not always to have quality. That’s a concept that far too many bands have struggled with for one reason or another with many thinking that a thick atmosphere leads to a worthwhile experience, but it needs so much in order to actually work and be pulled off well which is always difficult to execute no matter how masterful the band in question might be. With just one EP under their belt, it was still far from guaranteed that Zorya would be able to provide us with quality material on their second time around. Fortunately, they pulled it off quite nicely.

Despite the four tracks that make up this EP being quite straight-forward in comparison to what a lot of other atmospheric or post-black metal bands may try to pull off, but it’s in no way that Zorya has failed in delivering the material that they tried to bring to life within “Primeval”. In each of these tracks, the EP as a whole does a tremendous job at lending forth an atmosphere that permeates every moment of what Zorya usher forth at every second, but there’s still a layer of uncertainty wrapped in plenty of what they make here even if it’s far from anything that masks the quality that’s definitely to be found here. The lyrics can become pretty repetitive and it feels a little too often that the mix could have been done better in hindsight, but the vision that brought it all to life and gave a true attempt for glory shines through it all to still make “Primeval” something more than interesting to listen to by all accounts. You can clearly pick out the foundations of greatness throughout these four tracks such that I’m already more than intrigued to see what this band can create next, for everything needed for excellence is thrown down here with inexperience definitely working to Zorya’s disadvantage, but it’s all throughout “Primeval” that you can feel their passion breaking through to deliver a performance that’s as promising as it is engaging right from the beginning.

We could be here for hours and talk about fresh names that miss the mark for one reason or another, but I, as a reviewer, would be immensely in the wrong to not talk about bands that show clear promise even when they miss that mark. Zorya landed closer than many others, but I cannot help but feel that they will not be deterred by this creation as there’s still loads of enjoyment to be found within it and I know that they will take that knowledge and grow to become a name more than demanding of a chance with “Primeval” being just a massive step in that direction.

LISTEN to “Primeval” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Zorya on Facebook here.