The foreboding, ghostly, instrumental opener "The Dead Side" starts the debut U.S. release by Germany's Lunafield on an auspiciously unsettling note. Unfortunately, after that, the album quickly settles down into a completely rote and unimaginative retread of the usual European black metal clichés, from the Muppet-like death rattle vocals, to the turgid and impenetrable lyrics. The album does have a few high points, notably the atmospheric instrumental "The Black Side," and the whiplash speed of the pummeling "Press the Pressure," but the majority of
Close To Prime is utterly unmemorable, with the notable exception of the eight-and-a-half minute closer, "Acrid Insanity." A slowly unfolding instrumental based on an inviting piano melody, this song shows a definite skill for pacing, dynamics, and atmosphere that most of the rest of the album lacks, and hints at possible better work to come. ~ Stewart Mason