The gods be good. Ireland's pagan metal heroes Primordial have returned from a four-year studio drought to bring forth Exile Amongst the Ruins, their ninth full length since making their studio debut back in 1995. "Stolen Years," which appears on the back half of the album, can be heard above.

Moving along at a crawling tempo, dreary, almost lifeless chords trail off in the distance as minimalist but thunderous percussion counters the folk-tinged melodies. It's well over a minute before Alan 'Nemtheanga' Averill's panged vocal timbre pours on the misery and halfway through "Stolen Years," the instrumental portion arrives with force, carrying forward with the same aching chords and rain-soaked gloom.

"'Stolen Years' may seem like a strange choice as our lead single, and on the face of it, I guess it is. It's not a blood and thunder epic about tragedy and might and the ruin of nations, nor is it nine minute epistle of doom. Have no fear, the album does contain those also but to open this time we chose something different. This album has some surprises and this is one of them, a short and painfully simple song which almost didn't make the final cut if you can believe so," began Averill. "The video, cut by Costin Chioreanu, is about the journey involved in finally getting to that moment where you walk on stage, the song itself about that last night on earth that comes to us all, sometimes we never know when that might be, hold your loved ones tight tonight, this could be it…"

Exile Amongst the Ruins is set for a March 30 release through Metal Blade and the band linked up with producer Ola Ersfjord, who helmed the 2016 live album Gods to the Godless, at Dublin's Camelot Studios. Pre-orders are available here and you can check out the album art and track listing below.

Exile Amongst The Ruins Track Listing + Album Art

Metal Blade
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1. "Nail Their Tongues"
2. "To Hell or the Hangman"
3. "Where Lie the Gods"
4. "Exile Amongst the Ruins"
5. "Upon Our Spiritual Deathbed"
6. "Stolen Years"
7. "Sunken Lungs"
8. "Last Call"

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