Album Review: Conan – Violence Dimension
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Conan are easily amongst the UK’s premier names in heavy metal today which is saying something considering the slew of legendary acts the UK has produced. Formed in 2006 out of Liverpool, the band’s early years were spotted with numerous breakups and revivals although by 2009 onwards the band began, and has continued, an uninterrupted train of activity. Whether it was their Horseback Battle Hammer EP in 2010 or their 2011 Split with Slomatics, the band were always doing something; this soon culminated with Monnos, their first studio album, released in 2012. Every two years following this we received a new album: Blood Eagle (2014), Revengeance (2016), Existential Void Guardian (2018) and then we get a gap of four years before they return with their last major release, 2022’s Evidence Of Immortality. That last release I thought was easily some of the band’s best work to date and is consequently why I was so hyped to see Conan had announced their newest album. This is Violence Dimension, slated for an April 25th release date and, no longer with Napalm Records, Heavy Psych Sounds Records. Jon Davis continues to be the band’s sole remaining, founding member and is easily the face of Conan too though he is joined by newcomer bassist David Ryley, who joined in 2023, and will see his first album credit with the band, as well as returning drummer Johnny King, now on his third record with the band and whose prowess behind the kit has not gone unnoticed. For myself, a new Conan album isn’t just another record in the pipeline, its an event. I was deeply excited for Violence Dimension and thus all other records needed to take a step back until I was finished with Conan first.
Observing the track listing for Violence Dimension you’ll find the majority of tracks included within are an average of nine or ten minutes long, with some shorter pieces sporadically sprinkled in. I’ve known and enjoyed Conan long enough now that seeing an upcoming ten minute track is merely prelude to exquisite excitement given the band’s adoration for tone. The band’s songwriting enables them to submerge us thoroughly into this sea of reverb and howling vocals, especially since they’re one of the few bands where cranking the volume to the very apex is genuinely par for the course and will not dissipate the enjoyment such a record imparts. As with any Conan record, Violence Dimension maintains a simplified approach to doom metal where there is little that removes us from the sheer magnitude of the riff. With that said, Conan are able to maintain this approach without necessarily changing up the flow of their sound too greatly; what you hear at the beginning is similar to what you’ll receive by the conclusion, and you’ll be perfectly fine with that since the band‘s tone, crushing though it is, totally envelops you. The fuzz resulting from their performance bristles like blood-drunk static yet the actual strum and sound of the chord or note is exceptionally crisp. Their soundscapes are deliciously malevolent but they’ve never been so demanding on the senses that its a detriment to the experience. The band can render monolithic tracks with ease and time utterly shrinks. Where one band would struggle to maintain such lengthy assaults Conan do with sublime expertise.
Time can be punishing for extreme metal vocalists. But I do not believe this is the case with Davis. If anything, I’d say performing such vocals for Conan for almost two decades has allowed Davis to craft a vocal style where that coarse, striated texture benefits the band’s bludgeoning aesthetic. That signature commanding but brief cadence applied to lyrics ensures he isn’t always bellowing into his microphone; some tracks here hardly feature lyrics until the very end. The positioning of vocals has evolved over the years; today Conan’s vocals come to the forefront of the band’s sound and in spite of ravenous songwriting that rips and destroys with every second, the vocals maintain their position and are extremely intelligible too. Not only does this enable us to fall in further with the band but it lends the vocals a further acknowledgement of how important they’ve become to the band. Conan have always been more than crushing tone alone and Violence Dimension truly seals that fact. That scathing, pained delivery injects the songwriting with such odious, tormenting calibre, complemented by riffs that rip off the guitar with maddening ecstasy. With that said though, like many of Conan’s works, the vocals know when to withdraw, enabling the songwriting to speak. The vocals therefore act as a structural linchpin, lassoing us back in after extended sequences of riff before emerging from the shadows once more to play their part.
Given how nightmarish Conan’s soundscapes can be, we have to appreciate the amazing clarity applied to the drumming. Mixing a record like this where the instrumentation doesn’t hold back must be a feat in of itself but Conan have done this long enough now to recognise those finer details. Their sound may be driven by the riff however it’s undoubtedly supported by the drums and the bass-heavy strikes such tracks provide for the band on the whole. I remember hearing blast beats on Revengeance back in 2016 and it blew my head open with what was possible concerning drums in doom metal. In addition, it revealed to me, just as Violence Dimension depicts, how Conan stress clarity in their mixing. Drums such as these, within this cyclonic cacophony of chaos, could have easily been overladen by boisterous forces vying for attention, but the fact that I can easily acknowledge the cymbals, the tom-toms, the bass drums all the while Jon Davis bellows away, and the guitar wailing with frenzied bloodlust, is incredible. The impact these drums provide aids the band in rounding their sound into a full fledged band attack, as opposed to a single instrumental element leading the charge. They simply pop off the record. What struck me though with this record was how Johnny King manages to incorporate a wide variety of patterns and tempo into his performance that newcomers genuinely won’t be expecting. Its far from menial and trudging, it bursts with energy and will take you into places you were never anticipating. It also impresses me as a veteran listener to know the band refuse to rest on their laurels and are still seeking for ways to keep us enticed and glued to their work.
There’s a particularly raw quality working behind this record too. The band have often exhibited a certain degree of polish to their sound and its no different here, however throughout my time with Violence Dimension I latched onto the eviscerating, scraping power these riffs held. Often when bands such as Conan want to project that crushing tone, their guitars are produced and mixed whereby it’s the residual power of the tone alone that hits you. In this instance, though Conan’s tone is massive, you equally receive the raw and naked strength that goes into creating such pummelling soundscape. As Davis plays you can practically feel his guitar pick going across the strings, their vibrations, the sheer onslaught his guitar is having to withstand produce such metal. Listening to Violence Dimension makes you want to take its guitar aside for a moment and see if it requires first aid before it goes back for another bout. The band are always going to hit you in the face, but this record really drives home the shape of that bloodied fist that’s gone into producing that hit. It lends the record a dirty, grime-strewn underlayer that’s great to hear, an additional incentive for our teeth to sink into their soundscape. The band bite into us and thus do we reply in turn, as both parties seek running red with the other’s viscera.
In conclusion, Violence Dimension is the Conan you know and love. Everything that’s praiseworthy with the band is on full display here, I really think they’re prospering right now especially given the reception of their last record. But this album more than any other depicts just how filthy Conan’s sound truly is when you remove just enough of the polish that’s become integral to their performance. As mentioned, their tone is vital to the overall experience but bands who rely solely on just the residual tone alone are lacking a fundamental aspect: the raw brutality that elicits that tone. Violence Dimension is absolutely alive with that brutality which is why many will find themselves headbanging; it’s the only natural thing one can do here. Their soundscape manages to be organically colossal but never so large that you can’t grasp your mind around it and better yet, the band don’t come here looking to punish you for checking their record out. This is nearly fifty minutes long and, of course, they want you to return, so why should their performance be grating? After nearly twenty years Conan have mastered the art of the riff, delivering the maximum potential from minimalistic songwriting. You receive ten-minute tracks where you’ll beg for more, where you could listen to its length twice over if the band provided it. It really is an all-consuming experience that’s simultaneously ruthless and serene. So, surrender yourself to their sweeping maelstrom. It is a wonderful record.
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