Conan - Split with Slomatics

Artwork by Anthony Roberts.

In between their 2010 debut Horseback Battle Hammer and Monnos from 2012, Conan released a split with Slomatics. 3 tracks from each band, now available on each band's Bandcamp. Combined this is 37 minutes of mindbogglingly heavy and downtuned music, by two bands that compliment each other well.

Conan experiments a little, there's a short atmospheric track, and hypnotic analog synth driven passages. The production is perfectly clear, without sacrificing any of the heaviness. Conan would carry some of the experiments and the improved production with them on Monnos.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Slomatics have more of a stoner vibe and their sound is sludgier. The vocalist sounds like he's having a bad trip way back in the room. But the songs have more hooks, there's less focus on repetition than on Conan's half. Slomatics are the stoned yin to Conan's yang.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

The awesome cover art is by Anthony Roberts, who has done all the artwork for Conan. Here's an interview Lurker's Path did with him, and here are reviews of the split from Cvlt Nation and The Obelisk.

Conan - Monnos

Artwork by Anthony Roberts.

Monnos, the new album by Conan, has been released on the Burning World Records Bandcamp. Their previous full-length, Horseback Battle Hammer, was a lumbering mammoth of extremely downtuned doom riffing. On Monnos Conan ups the ante, the ridiculously heavy riffing is still there, but the songwriting has gotten more attention, and has been coupled with a much larger range of song dynamics.

Some tracks are relatively faster, there's even a few passages with double-kick bass drum. Due to the clean production, you can hear that drummer Paul O’Neil not only provides the raw driving power, but also lots of finesse and feeling. The drumming is perhaps the single biggest improvement on Conan's previous output, but O’Neil also has more to work with due to the songwriting being more varied. This review by The Sleeping Shaman describes the vocals:

There’s something about the combination of guitarist Jon Davis’ and bassist Phil Coumbe’s vocals atop such an unstoppable wave of uncompromising doom riffs that is entrancing. While Davis chimes out in the distance, Coumbe’s deep, booming growl anchors him to the thick layer of bass-heavy fuzz underlying everything.

Here's a detailed review by The Obelisk. Check out this fantastic album below.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Bandcamp updates from Conan and Cut Your Teeth

Conan live at Buffalo Bar Cardiff - 22nd January 2012. Tracklist: Krull - Satsumo - Hawk as Weapon - Retaliator - Sea Lord. 47 minutes of downtuned heaviness.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Cut Your Teeth - If It's Loud. Heavy Metal 'till I die, throw your horns up in the sky! Slide solo. Metal scream. Youtube video.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Conan - Horseback Battle Hammer

Artwork by Anthony Roberts.

Conan's Horseback Battle Hammer has been described as Caveman Battle Doom and it has been called brown metal, because it rumbles so low you could shit your pants from the vibrations. This Doommantia review has yet another apt description:

Imagine waking up and rolling out of your cave roughly somewhere in the Pliocene on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, the taste of meaty trilobites still on the back of your tongue. Checking up on the water supply of your herd of mammoths, you continue to the tundra wastelands to do some hunting - and Conan's Horseback Battle Hammer would be the soundtrack to your doings.

Here's a review from The Obelisk and an interview with the band from Doomsmoker.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

I found the large version of the album artwork in this Cvlt Nation gallery.