Review Summary: Huge, stomping, fuzz-fueled doom riff mountains.
Conan, the UK’s battle doom band is known for consistently delivering some of the tastiest sludgy doom riffs in the past decade. Four years after their latest full-length, the band’s long-awaited fifth release is here, which is (not surprisingly) no less heavy as their previous works were.
I always loved Conan for their relatively simple approach in doom metal. Their formula is based on two key factors: the slow, sludgy riffs and the way of making them sound
huge. Personally I always loved how they mix and master their records: all of them sound full, gigantic and shaking.
Evidence Of Immortality flows steadily and weighs like a mountain, more or less similarly to the USA's legendary doom band, Thorr’s Hammer's sole release,
Dommedagsnatt. The heaviness becomes crystal clear right in the beginning, as the album starts with the monumental song, “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots”, and believe me, the other tracks punch just as hard in the remaining forty minutes. Of course most people admire Conan for their “brute” and straight-forward style, but the careful studio work deserves praise in
Evidence Of Immortality as well. (Kudos to James Plotkin for his excellent work here.) The work with fuzz and distortion is gorgeous on its own; if you know how it feels listening to a Sunn O))) album, then you may know: it’s like a brain massage. Hard to resist scrolling up the volume to the maximum all the time, since this heavy atmosphere is so interestingly inviting and feels… intense! In my opinion, this comes from the great synergy between the instruments. Inarguably the guitar has the lead role in Conan’s style, accompanied by super heavy bass lines. However without the dynamic drumming this dream combo couldn’t work this flawlessly (here I’d like to mention that Johnny King’s performance is really good on this record). The trio’s effort in building up cathartic bursts is outstanding; for example how it happens in the album’s closer song, “Grief Sequence”. This track is interesting from other aspects as well, namely: it’s a fully instrumental track, plus it has
synths! The result is the most experimental Conan piece ever with a mystical and ominous atmosphere, and this is one of those extra things that can elevate the listening experience to the maximum.
Conan is one of those bands who never disappoints. Moreover, I daresay they evolve by each release, managing to deliver the tastiest riffs and to stay relevant.
Evidence Of Immortality is a very balanced and creative modern doom record, and I highly recommend giving it a spin, and don’t forget: high volume yields the best results!
