Album Review: Konquest - Time And Tyranny
Reviewed by Sam Jones
The name of Konquest is one I’ve encountered before. Having heard of the band when they announced The Night Goes On last year, I was curious to finally dip into their sound when Time And Tyranny became available to check out. We’re moving over the Atlantic Ocean for this one and deep into continental Europe where Italy has had these guys around since 2019. Formed out of the region of Tuscany, Konquest got into the swing of things very quickly where, following a Demo in 2020, they released that aforementioned The Night Goes On record in 2021 to where we are now. What struck me as interesting however was that Konquest is effectively a one-man band, fronted by Alex Rossi whereby he employs live musicians whenever Konquest takes to the road; you don’t see many one-man classic metal bands these days. With that said, let’s dive into Time And Tyranny.
The opening track to this record may only be 90 seconds long but it excellently introduces us to the general tone this record will give us. I personally enjoyed the realisation that this wouldn’t be a super heavy and pounding metal record; the guitar work oozes a fun and classic feel to it’s sound. What’s more, it’s sound has a higher pitch than what other classic metal-sounding records have offered us lately. Konquest are certainly channelling this classic, NOWBHM-style of sound that is infectiously enjoyable. The first few tracks continue to exemplify this approach to metal, Konquest have no intention of crushing your skull into atoms; Time And Tyranny pursues a light hearted atmosphere that anyone can get themselves engrossed in. It manages to be that lighter sound without lacking substance, the riffs and their tone may be light but the mix has ensured they’re still felt and remembered.
Much like the riffs, the vocals are also much airier and higher-pitched than what I’ve come across lately too. If the riffs didn’t showcase to us the band were vying for a classic metal attack, then the vocals absolutely do just that. Vocally, it isn’t something we haven’t heard before but it’s oddly refreshing. The delivery is line with classic metal performances but I personally appreciated how the vocals weren’t always seeking the highest notes at every moment of any particular song. It’s not a jarring performance and while the vocals are higher in the mix, it never conflicts nor has to battle with the instrumentation in its vying to be heard.
I think this healthy juggling of higher-pitched elements ultimately falls to how the mix has been able to throw all these aspects together in a manner that renders them the ability to be coherently heard, individually, then appreciated, collectively. The vocals and guitar work operates around similar pitch levels yet we can listen to them happily without their efforts contradicting one another. In addition, it’s a nice relief to hear the bass lines without effort as they meander and wind their way through the riffs and drums and vocal performance. The record altogether exudes a light tone through its sound which does make the bass easier to make out; it’s simply great to see a band taking care with their mix and especially when they look to produce a classic sounding album when many simply throw everything together and call it a day.
One extra point I’ll give to Konquest is how they’re able to create a sound reminiscing classic metal or the NWOBHM sound, all the while not using that period of metal as a crutch they feel the need to consistently lean on. It can be hard to get this kind of sound right without inadvertently using past influences as a major leaning post; there have been numerous, albeit, successful bands who have nurtured their own sound and yet have not strayed too far from what has given classic metal it’s core sound. When you’re listening to Konquest you can’t help but feel like these Italians thoroughly understand what makes this style of metal work, but also know what they can do to infuse their own sound with something genuinely unique and different to cement their own identity. The inclusion of haphazard synthesiser elements was a surprising but welcome discovery, it’s sporadic implementation providing legitimate joy at coming across its keys. I also liked how Konquest, much like myself, understand the importance of a prominent, concluding track to send their album off with a bang. Coupled with a prior minute long instrumental, the record closes out with a nine minute opus that certainly captures the gravitas of an ending. The band’s sound may be rooted in something classic and fun, however their tendencies are sweeping, they demonstrate their capacity to instil a variety of tone in songwriting that gives them credence for maturity.
In conclusion, Konquest’s Time And Tyranny is a roaring ride that I didn’t want to get off from. The longer this album persisted and the more the band continued to unveil what they were looking to unload, the more I wanted this album to keep going just a little longer. It may be only just more than 35 minutes, but it felt like I absorbed more here than some records offer up with 50. There’s plenty to unpack throughout this record and at no point did their sound grate against me nor did their songwriting come off with increasingly tedious ire. This was a competently written and performed metal record that stood as nice departure from many of my more extreme roster. I’d known about Konquest prior owing to their first studio record a years back, but for now whenever the name of Konquest crops up in the future, I’ll be there.
