Primitive Epic

Like emo and post-grunge, rap-metal (also known as rapcore) became an extremely crowded field in the '90s. Anyone who received a lot of promotional rock CDs in the late '90s or early 2000s — a program director, DJ, retailer, magazine editor, or whomever — was bound to encounter a glut of faceless bands content in emulating Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, or Korn instead of trying to develop their own style. But a lack of originality is never a problem for Bobaflex, a band that brings something fresh and imaginative to rap-metal on Primitive Epic. Instead of going out of their way to copy Methods of Mayhem or anyone else, these guys look to a variety of sources for inspiration. Their sound owes something to Rage Against the Machine, House of Pain, and Tool, but they also owe a creative debt to the '70s progressive rock of Pink Floyd, Queen, and Rush, as well as the conceptual '80s fantasy metal of Queensrÿche. Primitive Epic, in fact, is a very conceptual album — one that is forceful, angst-ridden, and in-your-face (all the things rap-metal is supposed to be), but it is also melodic, complex, and intricate (all the things '70s progressive rock is supposed to be). Bobaflex, for all its punky aggression, is impressively usical, and there are plenty of interesting twists and turns in the songs. Because of that complexity, listeners won't be able to fully absorb Primitive Epic the first time around — like so many Queen, Pink Floyd, Yes, and Rush releases (and a lot of jazz, for that matter), Primitive Epic is the sort of album that reveals more and more of its richness with each listen. An excellent and highly challenging work, Primitive Epic may very well be the closest thing that rap-metal has to Pink Floyd's The Wall or Queensrÿche's Operation: Mindcrime.