CONAN
Violence Dimension
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS
Liverpudlian doomlords bring a new warrior into their ranks
After nearly 20 years of cleaving skulls, Conan have become an institution of UK heavy, and a new record is a matter of knowing the punishment you’re signing up for. Frontman Jon Davis still cries out every word like he’s scaling a castle wall with burning pitch speckling his skin, and Johnny King remains one of metal’s most underrated sticksmen for uniquely obnoxious yet unconventional rhythms, like the unpredictable tempo spikes that end Desolation Hexx. Total Bicep clatters with the axe-swinging primitivism of Celtic Frost’s The Usurper. New bassist David Ryley, formerly of cult 90s noise-makers Fudge Tunnel, makes an impression where he could have stayed between the lines. He brings some howling lead bass parts to Foeman’s Flesh that add a new melodic voice to the band’s mostly pitiless sound. ■■■■■■■■■■