Review Summary: More of the same from Conjurer, but also a refining of their sound.
Sludge metal is a genre that not all metalheads can bring themselves to enjoy. Similar to funeral doom, sludge is usually slow, monotonous and the dirt-soaked riffage hits you right in the face with enough force to knock you on your unsuspecting rear end. Conjurer is a band from the UK and their brand of sludge is just a bit different from the norm. These guys are rooted in the genre, yes, but they also bring plenty of other elements to the table.
Unself is the band's third full-length album and pretty much continues the trend of previous albums with a bit more of a kick this time around. The black metal and metalcore influences are just as prevalent, but the monstrosity with which they're displayed is of epic proportions. The riffs all throughout this album are relatively simplistic, for lack of a better word, but the masterful production job really aids in making sure they sound as deafening as possible. They almost sound as if the guitar strings were seeped in black tar before recording. ‘There is No Warmth’ is an absolute mammoth of mud-filled riffs, tribal-esque drum rhythms and a deliberately gloomy feeling overall. The very next track, ‘The Searing Glow’, is a sludge-influenced, black metal banger equipped with sharp tremolo picking and ear-piercing shrieks from beyond the filthy grave before transitioning into an ambient-esque atmospheric clinic.
Oftentimes, sludge metal can be a bit too one-note and boring, but Conjurer has enough outside influence to prevent that from being the case. The production job here, as I mentioned earlier, is completely spot-on. Everything can be clearly deciphered while still having an overall muddy feeling. At times, it sounds like a Converge album with all of the chaotic static mounted behind the steep mountain of riffs. The cleaner, acoustic sections, like on the instrumental ‘A Plea’, gives the album a twang and flare that could've come from a lo-fi bedroom indie release if you didn't know any better.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the God-like vocal performance from co-vocalists, and guitarists, Dan and Brady. The black metal shrieks are ice-cold and piercing, the throaty, gruff shouts are passionate and draining and the clean vocals soar epicly every time they show up. The way that the vocals mesh with the production and the riffs really put a bow on
Unself. The best example here is on ‘Foreclosure’, which is my personal favorite here. It's the most stripped-back and maybe the “easiest” track here, but they take a minimalist approach that ends up bringing so much emotion out of the vocals it sounds like they're actually spitting on you. That might not sound pleasant, but I mean it in the most authentic way possible.
Conjurer is a band that sticks to their formula. They don't branch out much from their core of influences, but when you execute at such a high level so consistently, does it really matter how much you switch it up?
Unself is the guys' most maniacal album yet. I have to give a lot of props to the producer, Joe Clayton, for giving this band the mountainous energy that sounds like a deadly avalanche of riffs coming at the listener at the speed of light. You have no hope to stop it, so sit down, take a load off and let Conjurer bash your peasant skull in.
