Primal Core is an American goth metal band from Bakersfield, California. The band was founded in 1987 by guitarist Seth Crawfield, bassist Paul R. Nelson, and drummer Joey Jo-Jo Jr. Shabadoo. The band is notable for pioneering the goth metal genre and bringing it to the mainstream. Before their success, the band use to make demo tapes and distributed them to record companies and radio stations in hopes of being discovered.
The band is well known for its aggressive sound, attention grabbing attire, and their chaotic live shows in which many of their fans got injured. The band rapidly rose to success following the release of their debut album, Abraxes Fury, in 1987. The 1990 follow-up album, Clown, although darker in tone, made the band even more popular. After a brief hiatus, Primal Core returned in 1995 with Capricious Toyol, before going on another hiatus and returning in 2000 with its fourth and final album, Temptation, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The band would later split up over the guitarist’s insistence to use his daughter’s drawing of a squirrel for their cover art on their fourth album. As of 2004, Primal Core had sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.