Conjurer - Páthos

Angry Metal Guy 40

Mire was something special, although El Cuervo did his darnedest to try and convince us otherwise. Few bands can baffle listeners to wonder whether they are listening to Neurosis-inspired post-metal, Mastodon sludge, Bolt Throwing death metal, or Swallow the Sun-esque death/doom as England’s Conjurer. The band’s puzzling list of split collaborators including the post-metal/drone Pijn and the mathy post-hardcore Palm Reader add to the intrigue. So when Páthos was announced, the first full-length in four years, I hopped aboard the Conjurer train with Cuervo‘s blessing. Is Páthos as good as the hype suggests?

In a word, sorta, but there’s a lot to unpack here before we start heralding the Brits as the best thing since toad in a hole. Conjurer purports to simply be “riff music,” but they’ve perhaps unintentionally made some of the most atmospheric music right alongside. Riffs, just as in the case of Mire, feel somewhere between Bolt Thrower and Isis, while passages of doom heft and post-rock clarity grace the negative spaces. Ethereal plucking turns into ominous crawling leads that morph into huge riffs, while deathy vocals and blackened grimness lurk behind every corner. Páthos is more exploratory than its predecessor, more varied in its many moods and dwells in sadder realms – for better and for worse.

Páthos‘ cover reflects the moods that Conjurer conjures. Although grim and brutal, jagged and framed with loathing, beauty arises from its twisted tones. In this way, the Brits indulge in a more screamo or melodic hardcore palette, utilizing emotive progressions to express yearning and loss. However, refusing to settle, these tendrils are balanced out by Isis-esque ambivalent tones, exchanging heartbreak for apathy on a dime, such as in the bombastic opener “It Dwells.” Black metal, although in sparser supply, graces tracks like the climax of “All You Will Remember” and the pinnacle of “Those Years, Condemned.” Deathier heft a la Bolt Thrower‘s IVth Crusade collapses into bass-driven meditations with seamless ease, while the emotional crescendos are given room to breathe. More pronounced melody is a new element that graces Páthos, and although kickass riffs or math meltdowns drive “Suffer Alone” and “Rot” with unrelenting punishment, Conjurer doesn’t neglect its heart. “All You Will Remember” is a clear highlight, revolving around gentle crystalline melody and soft-spoken word, recalling Pianos Become the Teeth‘s “Houses We Die In,” while descending into brutal doom and back again with seamless grace.

Perhaps the biggest complaint about Conjurer is their most formidable asset. Their evasion of genre pigeonholing can be a divisive take, and it damages the songwriting’s fluidity, making more melodic cuts feel contrived. “Suffer Alone” is all riff, no melody, while every track prior balances, and the sludgy bludgeoning sludgeoning gets old after a while. “In Your Wake” and closer “Cracks in the Pyre” are stuck in unashamed Mastodon worshiping bass-heavy sludge guitar tone and chords, wavering very little from the djunz until concluding passages. While the mix is incredibly forgiving to the crushing guitar, it gives little breathing room for everything else, that while bass and percussion are usually audible, the death/doom heft can ruin everyone else’s day. “Basilisk” is most guilty, its closing passage feeling suspiciously like a deathcore breakdown while the rest of the track jarringly swaps melody for brutality with clumsy dexterity. Ultimately, Conjurer‘s songwriting falls flatter here than in Mire, as its Envy/Pianos Become the Teeth melodic component feels like just another sound stitched into the palette, even if it does play a larger role. The melodies leave me cold by the end of “Cracks in the Pyre,” derailing what originally felt like a huge step up.

Perhaps indicative of a larger issue, Páthos is top-heavy. The first half of the album balances grace and brutality easily, while the latter indulges in brutality too decadently. Melodic moments feel tossed in and contrived when the songwriting neglects apt transitions, and the second half suffers, making this inclusion feel more novel than heartfelt. While tracks like “It Dwells” and “All You Will Remember” are easily some of Conjurer‘s best work in smart composition, melodic depth, and riffs galore, they stand alone compared to the Mastodon worship that tries too hard to be melodic simultaneously. There is plenty to love on Páthos, don’t get me wrong, and the melodies here will strike each listener differently; but Conjurer, for the first time ever, has left me cold.



Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: ~275 kb/s VBR mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: conjureruk.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/conjureruk
Releases Worldwide: July 1st, 2022

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