Live Review: Conjurer – Strange Brew, Bristol
13th November 2025
Support: Death Goals, Pijn
Words: Chris Taylor
Photos: Tim Finch
After releasing their incredible third album Unself, Conjurer’s UK tour arrives at a sold out
Bristol show with support from their long time collaborators Pijn and duo Death Goals
Death Goals begin mere moments after the venue opens, consequently the crowd is very much on the thin side when they take to the stage. However Death Goals employ that all important philosophy when performing. Play to ten people as if there were thousands. Playing an abrasive and intense version of screamo core the band play like people possessed with energy that never waivers for even a second. It’s uncompromising, ferocious and honest. It’s also the first, and certainly not the last time, when a band tonight has made an impassioned shout out to LGBTQIA+ community. It’s a very welcoming and inclusive night all round and of course a night of monstrously heavy metal, Death Goals brought all of that perfectly.
Having Pijn joining Conjurer for a tour just feels right. Obviously both bands are part of the side project Curse These Metal Hands, but also Pijn’s music while being tonally very different to Conjurer is equally as thrilling and engaging. Performing their 2024 album From Low Beams of Hope, Pijn's epic post metal grabs the audience the instant Our Endless Hours begins. They weave a mesmerising sonic tapestry and their performance is almost hypnotising. For the full forty odd minutes they have the audience’s full attention with the breaks in the songs being so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Given how chaotic the rest of the night is, Pijn’s ability to create as big an impact with much more restrained and mournful music is simply jaw dropping. Truly night stealing performance.
Conjurer take to the stage like they are local legends. Their reputation in metal’s underground is well known and there is a real sense of anticipation as the first song begins. Beginning with the opening track off of their stunning new album Unself Dani’s sombre cleans prime the audience in a similar way to Pijn. But this is of course Conjurer, so with the force of an explosion they once again demonstrate how they are one of the heaviest bands around when the rest of the band come charging in.
Dani’s vocal performance feels like it comes from deep within them, with their new album taking up much of the setlist it’s an outpouring of emotion that gives the show a real sense of raw honesty. Be it the monstrously heavy The Searing Glow or the sombre A Plea Conjurer take us through a range of different emotions that flow together seamlessly. Clearly wanting to end with a bang the closing track Hadal concludes with a Conjurer staple making the audience circle pit around their bass player Conor, headbanging like they’ll never get to do another show again. Conjurer know how to arrive with impact, and leave lingering in your head for long after the show is over. As far as small, local metal shows go it doesn’t get more impactful than this. Three bands pouring their hearts out, covering a range of different sounds and battering the audience with epic heavy metal from beginning to end.
Photo credits: Tim Finch
