Revengeance

Fresh for the new year is a brand-new LP from Conan, sure to delight those who believe there is no such thing as "too heavy" in the riff department. The band hasn't changed their sound much from last time (a good thing), and Revengeance appears to be mostly fine-tuning of the band's droning yet aggressive style. The riffs on Revengeance remain giant, monolithic affairs, with a blunt distortion and a bass that's well-nigh subterranean. Throne of Fire injects some Crowbar-style groove into the riffing on the faster portions of the song, and there is a more texture than there was on the last album, Blood Eagle -- the band even stops playing heavy chords sometimes in favor of a single-string melody. But no one can say this is a lighter album. There's an impersonal feel to the sound, and it takes its time in completely crushing the listener; Wrath Gauntlet takes half the song to speed up through a howl of feedback, mingled with chords as solid and menacing as the plate-mail-clad figures they like putting on their album covers. The title track is the most overpowering of all, spiked with blastbeats and with an angrier, more in-your-face delivery by the guitarist and bassist. Maybe it's the production, which is clearer than previous forays, but the vocals, that blended into one droning yell to me on the last album, separate better so you can hear the split between the growled and upper-register vocals, and the aggression in the latter -- and finally understand some of the lyrics. The final track, Earthenguard, takes advantage of its length by giving the guitar some more parts, in the form of drum-and-bass-free riffing, and best of all, a lead solo. The only one I can presently recall having heard from this band, the solo is what you'd expect: That is, as distorted and rough as the massive rhythm guitar it hacks through like the Cimmerian himself slicing through an army of his enemies. Conan's never disappointed thus far, and Revengeance is no exception. Anyone with some interest in the heavier end of doom or drone should pick this up -- but you might want to get bigger speakers first. You're going to need them.