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Primevil was a short-lived US quintet from Indiana whose first and only album was released in 1974 on Moe Whittemore's small label 700 West and became a cult classic of the proto-metal genre. The band consisted of Dave Campton (voc, harp, perc), Larry Lucas (g, voc), Jay Wilfong (g, voc), Mark Sipe (b) and Mel Cupp (dr), who played bluesy hard rock and heavy metal. Building on a manic and hard kicking rhythm section and led by two virtuoso guitarists, Dave Campton sang his crazy lyrics. Smokin' Bats at Campton's is also a barely disguised reference to smoking weed, similar to the British band Leaf Hound (Growers Of Mushroom). But none of this has led to success. On the contrary, without professional distribution, the album, pressed in a small edition, only achieved regional fame in the Midwest at the time of its release.
Although it is often cited as one of the most important albums in the development of the stoner rock and metal genres, this classic has pretty much fallen into oblivion these days. Only among modern stoner rock enthusiasts has the record gained a cult following, making it a rare and valuable collector's item.
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