Primitive Man, Cult Leader, Of Feather & Bone, Sylvia

Denver’s Primitive Man makes music that matches their name: a nihilistic blend of brutal death metal, deviant noise, and primeval doom. Their debut on Relapse Records was called “[a record] that will consume you whole if you’re not careful,” by Cvlt Nation and “the best worst thing that has ever happened to you,” by Metal Hammer. The band, which features members of Vermin Womb, Withered, Clinging to the Tress of a Forest Fire, and others, has been prolific since their forming in 2012, releasing four splits, an EP, and a full-length. Despite their brutal approach, Primitive Man’s music is characterized by an atavistic sense of humanity, modern conceptions of hope and faith, and an undeniable newness. They’re joined by the genre-defying assaults of Salt Lake City’s Cult Leader, the brooding hardcore of Denver’s Of Feather & Bone, and the pitch-black riffs of Portland’s own Sylvia.