Track By Tracks: Primordial Black - Dark Matter Manifesto (2025)

Primordial Black (2025)

From the outset, Dark Matter Manifesto establishes itself as more than just a blackened metal debut, it’s a literary and philosophical exorcism with references that stretch from Argento’s Three Mothers to the abyssal visions of Lovecraft, Bataille, or Lautréamont, Primordial Black crafts an album that feels as much like a haunted library as it does a sonic ritual.

1. Profondo Nero:

A cinematic overture drenched in dread, Profondo Nero references Italian horror maestro Dario Argento (Profondo Rosso) while also suggesting a descent into subconscious voids. This intro sets the tone for the album’s symbolic descent, part séance, part philosophical rite.

2. Mater Lacrimarum:

Named after the most terrifying of Argento’s Three Mothers, this track isn’t just a nod to Italian horror; it's an exploration of archetypal grief. The title invokes maternal anguish, yet the lyrics seem to draw from Gothic poetry and surrealist horror, suggesting a universal cry in the face of loss.

3. Dark Matter Manifesto:

The thematic heart of the album. Echoing the cosmic dread of Lovecraft and the nihilism of Cioran, this track is the sonic equivalent of reading a forbidden tome. Critics noted that while the musical structure could have used more conciseness, its lyrical weight and philosophical density anchor it as the manifesto it claims to be.

4. Sowing Discord (Feat. Sakis Tolis):

A “demonic hymn to chaos,” this track features Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ and evokes Miltonian imagery of fallen angels and divine revolt. The song plays like a black mass against order, laced with echoes of Paradise Lost and Bataille’s sacrilegious ecstasy. Divisive in reception, yet undeniably bold in vision.

5. Eidola:

From the Greek εἴδωλον, meaning phantom or image, this interlude (though under a minute) is steeped in metaphysical suggestion. It conjures specters of Plato’s cave, of illusions, doubles, and ghost selves. It is a breath before further descent.

6. Iconoclast:

A song of heresy. With a title referencing the destruction of sacred images, it brings to mind the revolutionary spirit of Thus Spoke Zarathustra and the anti-dogmatic fire of Antonin Artaud. The guitars are hypnotic, almost mantra-like, underscoring a textural critique of divinity itself.

7. Din of Thy Celestial Birds (Feat. Maxime Taccardi):

The album’s stunning finale, this track is both lyrical and visceral. Maxime Taccardi’s tortured vocal performance evokes Lautréamont’s Maldoror, where the grotesque becomes sacred. The title itself alludes to a cosmic dissonance, a divine entropy where celestial beauty collapses into madness.

Conclusion

Dark Matter Manifesto is as indebted to literature and metaphysics as it is to black metal. Its atmosphere evokes House of Leaves, its poetics echo The Book of Disquiet. Even when musical cohesion falters, the literary ambition shines. For those willing to dive into the abyss, Primordial Black offers more than sound; it offers a language for the inexpressible.