Search - Primal Scream :: Xtrmntr

A Superb Record.

R. W. Budnik | Rochester, NY | 10/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a truly excellent alternative record in every sense of the word. Like another reviewer on here I tend to agree that this type of record has been attempted by many, with only limited success. That is until the Primal Scream came along, shed the Rolling Stones covers and finally did what they are good at, creating definitive angst-ridden music, with the help of some true geniuses: Kevin Shields, Bernhard Sumner, Brendan Lynch, Tim Goldsworthy (of the freakin' DFA) and Dan Nakamura (before he went lame w/ Head Automatica). I am a big Jesus and Mary Chain fan and I can't help but liken this record to Psychocandy; hard, abrasive, excellent hooks and not to sound cliche, but more grown-up and refined than other stuff out there. This is such a cool CD, and its a reminder to fans of Gillespie and the rest that while they may underwhelm us with canned fodder like Riot City Blues, on occassion, they are still capable of the brilliance captured here and in Screamadelica. Now here it is, the autumn of 2006, 6 years after this disc's release, and this record might still be 5 years ahead of its time."

I'm seven years behind my time

Peaches O'Brien | 03/21/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"XTRMNTR doesn't feel like a proper album -- there are too many guest musicians and lack of a cohesive sound. It does, however, feel like the first recording to fit the band's name -- XTRMNTR sounds like it could have been recorded while the group was in their first week with Arthur Janov. The songs are filled with rage, paranoia ("eterminate the underclass, exterminate the telepaths") These definitely aren't the free, fun loving guys I remember from high school. There's no "Come Together" or "Higher than the Sun" here. Instead there are raw, thudding tantrums like "Swastika Eyes" and "Kill All Hippies." I guess they're catchy enough to stomp along to, though some go on a bit too long. The opener, "Kill All Hippies" uses an effective sample from the Dennis Hopper film "Out of the Blue." Not exactly "Animal House." My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Skields contributes some guitar work and production to "Shoot Speed/Kill Light" as well as an unusually sibilant remix of "If They Move Kill 'Em," a track from their album "Vanishing Point." The songs Shields contributes to are probably the album's highlight -- loud, fuzzy distorted guitars that had me feeling like I was ripping through to another dimension, when I was just opening a bag of Sun Chips. I think New Order borrowed Bobby Gillespie and the guitar riff from "Shoot Speed/Kill Light" for a song on their "Get Ready" album.



All and all, if having the sun really sounds like this, I'll probably just buy a vowel."

Prime Primal...just barely

Matthew T. Medlock | Cincinnati, OH | 09/11/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For the first four songs on XTRMNTR (or Extermintor, for those who prefer using vowels), Primal Scream captures liquid adrenaline in a bottle, shakes it up, and lets it spray out of the speakers. After that, it's anyone's guess. Its quality spikes as severely as the levels readout must skip when this album is played. The album is dragged down by an unnecessary repeat/remix of "Swastika Eyes" and a couple that should have been left off entirely. The lesser tracks aren't simply mediocre filler, but honestly bad songs, namely the lame hip-hop verses of "Pills" and the meandering, flat beat of "Insect Royalty." Even the good ones usually have a problem inherent in all thunderous electronica/house-fused music--they go on too long. At seven minutes plus, "Swastika Eyes" and "Blood Money" lose their verve before the final pulse. Maybe if everyone was raving in a club, they wouldn't mind, but there is such a thing as too much. Some of the political bullets fired from singer Bobby Gillespie's throat pistol strike true, but other times (like on the previously noted "Pills") they become almost laughable. An uneven record, to say the least, but it has long moments of unquestioned power, like techno-rock's answer to Rage Against the Machine.



Best cuts: "Exterminator," "Swastika Eyes," "Kill All Hippies," "Blood Money," "Accelerator," "Keep Your Dreams," "MBV Arkestra (If They Move Kill `Em)""