A chilly Valentine’s Day got a lot warmer when the experimental gothic black metal band Primeval Well stopped in Chesapeake and played some sick music with local support from Virginia Beach doom purveyors Seið, black metal stalwarts Serpentshrine and Fredericksburg’s Archael.
Kicking off the evening was Seið, setting the mood for an interesting night of metal. It has been over a year since I last saw them play was at Something Dead In The Water II, so it was great to see them again.
Schizo Wizard
Yearn
Home
A Hymn to Freyr/Blessing of the Indica Fields
Seið online
Bringing the heavy, Serpentshrine kicked up the tempo and gave the crowd what they wanted, crushing, no-nonsense black metal. I hope that we get to see more of them live in 2026.
Engulfing the Sepulchre
Spektral Sorcery
Satanic Rituals of the Perverse
Ancient Ophidian Lords
Transacting the Forbidden Zenith
Invocation Rites
Fathomless Rapture
Shadowed Luminescence
Serpentshrine online
I have to admit, I was not expecting what I got to hear from Primeval Well, a band that embraced their Country roots and integrated it into black metal. Listening to Ryan Clackner chicken pick as he played made me thing he was channeling John 5. These guys are a combination of a black metal band, jam band, a little thrash, clean and dirty vocals, and a unique sound. I really liked them and if your taste in black metal runs a little different than most, give Primeval Well a listen.
Forgotten, Forlorn, Forsaken
(In Reverence of) the Sword in our Third Eye
Where All Things Are Forgotten
Talkin’ in Tongues with Mountain Spirits
Primeval Well online
Closing out the night was my friends in Archael who got the opportunity to open for the second night of the Heart Of Winter Fest in Richmond, an event people are still talking about. Most of my Hampton Roads friends didn’t make it to Richmond for the fest, so this was their first time seeing Archael live. Bringing the same intensity they showed in Richmond, they pulverized the crowd.
Born Of The Pyre
Hand Of Decay
Effigy
Monolith
Sun No Longer Rise
Archael online
Primeval Well will be on tour through the 25th with their last stop at Reggie’s in Chicago. If you want to experience some unique black metal, check them out!!!
