Behold, The Conqueror, a band who has been mulling around in Halifax’s metal circuit for the past few years, will certainly have a stronghold on it’s patrons with the unleashing of their first full length release.
The self-titled album will find a comfortable seat in the ears of any listener across the genre’s spectrum. The quartet have successfully cross-bred the popular sounds of deathcore with the technical elements of blasts beats, obscure time signatures and a pleasing flow of vocals that refuse to be left in the background.
The album kicks off with it’s intro track “Toil”, which brings you into the fold with the menacing high end of guitarist Danny Webb which leads into a heavy swing that gets your angst going. The warm up ends quickly however, as you’re thrown off balance with the tracks “Fess Up” and “Pigeon-Toed”. The slimy gutturals of vocalist Nick Piovesan swiftly drag you into the core of their high magnitude sound with lyrics that immediately implode your comfort zone. Next, we enter the album’s single, “Dupery”. Visually, “Dupery” is accompanied in it’s music video by two cloaked figures partaking in a satanic exchange along with cuts of the band playing in a room that is sharply lit with the colour tones of the albums artwork. Musically,“Dupery” and the track that proceeds it “Lady Slipper Picker” are laced with riffs and climbs that spiral the album into a dark place at it’s mid-way point.
The back half begins with the fitting instrumental “Senseless” which provides the eerie sounds of rain and thunder with a somber guitar line. The song fades out as we enter the albums apex.
The more technical side of the band gets to shine with “ISHWMFT”, a track that is ripe with the scratchy, squealing chaos that separates the upper class of djent infused bands from the rest. Showcasing the most captivating rhythms that we have witnessed thus far, any linearity that was still present in the album breaks down as the band’s mathcore muscles begin to flex. The frantic pace of the music refuses to let up as the final three tracks “Elitist”, “Children of the Night” and “Shallow Water” create a punishing yet enjoyable end to the album, leaving you sweaty and wanting more.
Listen to the album here: https://beholdtheconqueror.bandcamp.com/
