The band's roots stretch back to 1987 when Pól and Ciarán first began playing together with Pól's brother, Derek. The band (who were called Forsaken for a brief period) initially played a rough, hybrid mix of early, primitive Thrash and Death Metal (playing covers of Death, Sepultura and the like).
Vocalist Nemtheanga joined the band after seeing an ad for a singer in Dublin specialist Metal store The Sound Cellar in 1991. According to Primordial lore, the ad was pasted over no more than 2 hours after it being put up.
Upon Nemtheanga's joining the band, the band started to pursue a darker direction citing influence from Bathory, Celtic Frost and the emerging Greek and Norwegian Black Metal scenes.
Primordial was the first Black Metal styled band to emerge from Ireland with the release of their Dark Romanticism demo in the early summer of 1993 (Cruachan were also active at this time combining Black Metal with Folk Music). The band initially came to the attention of Lee Barrett from the UK label Candlelight Records but he failed to move on signing the band so after a live, soundboard recording from Dublin from 1994 was sent to Cacophonous Records, (Cradle of Filth, Bal Sagoth etc.), the band signed with them for the release of their debut album Imrama.
Although their debut album, Imrama, was characteristic as being in a more melodic black metal musical direction, they gradually came to refine their sound with A Journey's End, which included the use of mandolins and whistles and a more epic style. The two subsequent releases, The Burning Season and Spirit the Earth Aflame, showed the band's reflection of cultural geist and emotion, woven into an amalgam of black, celtic, and folk metal musical styles. They have toured with various metal bands in the extreme metal genre, including Norwegian black metal band Immortal.
The band's fifth album The Gathering Wilderness turned out to be a much darker and bleaker record than any Primordial had made before, providing the listener with a rawer sound as well. It was chosen as album of the month in Terrorizer Magazine and appeared in lots of top lists of the year 2005.
In January 2006 the band played their first US show alongside Thyrfing and Moonsorrow at the Heathen Crusade metalfest in Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
Their latest album, To the Nameless Dead, was released on November 16, 2007. It received virtually universal and overwhelming praise, rising to such accolades as being named 2008's Metal Album of the Year by Chronicles of Chaos (continuing an unprecedented back to back honoring for Primordial by the webzine).
They are currently signed with Metal Blade Records.
On June 5, 2010 the band performed a show in Athens, Greece. The show was labeled by Nemtheanga himself as "the worst show ever in 20 years" due to drummer Simon O'Laoghaire being extremely intoxicated. The band subsequently started auditioning new drummers. During this time the band called upon Gareth Averill (Nemtheanga cousin) to fill in for the remainder of the tour. The band has stated that Simon will not be leaving the band, but will be seeking help over his addictions. The band have hired Cathal Murphy to fill in for the shows in October 2010. The band plan to enter the studio in November & December to work on their new album.