Review: Conan ‘Violence Dimension’
What could make a new Conan album an even more attractive proposition? Is it a) the inclusion of an exclusive beyond-the-grave voiceover from James Earl Jones, b) Jon Davisonly using guitars in the shape of a battle axe, or c) the addition of a former Fudge Tunnel member on bass?
Whilst technically the answer is ‘all three’, in practice we have to be happy with just option C, but with Fudge Tunnel being one of my favourite bands from my formative years, I’m more than happy with that. So, with the addition of David Ryley, the stepping down of Chris Fielding from his longtime thick-string and backing-yeller role (he thankfully remains on production duties), and a move over to Heavy Psych Sounds, we have Conan’s 6th/7th full-length release depending on whether you include Horseback Battle Hammer as their full-length debut or not. Violence Dimension landed with a barbarian-sized thud on 25th April on your chosen format of earth-ending plastic disc.
Foeman’s Flesh kicks us off with nine minutes of Conan goodness. With the exception of some subtle guitar solo experimentation two-thirds of the way through the track, this is going to be a welcome reintroduction for existing fans – it does exactly what track one on a Conan record should do!
Desolation Hexx then continues the pummelling with a tank in riff form. This track also demonstrates how important Davis’ vocals are to the overall sound. I remember when I first heard Conan, I briefly (and wrongly) questioned whether his higher register delivery sat well with this style of sludge. His vocals are instantly identifiable, and because they aren’t fighting for space amongst the bass and guitar frequencies, it lends Conan records a production quality that not many bands of this ilk get close to. Long may Mr Fielding keep his hands on the control knobs.
Total Bicep is maybe the most retro-Conan composition here, but what it lacks in variety, it delivers in sheer weight… which is in contrast to what follows, the title track. It’s another nine-minute epic, and as I type, this probably gets my vote for being the finest thing Conan have recorded to date.
a production quality that not many bands of this ilk get close to…
For the first few minutes, the riff slithers and slides, with brilliant Ward-esque drumming from Johnny King. Then, from the halfway mark, the sci-fi guitar sounds start to take us elsewhere, whilst subtle changes in the drumming and main riff continue to develop. Only in the last couple of minutes do we get a different riff and some atypically guttural roars. It’s the individual track that I have been returning to most whilst visiting the Violence Dimension.
Frozen Edges Of The Wound was released in advance of the album, and the best compliment I can pay this track is that I fully expect it to remain a setlist favourite for some time to come. It’s a three-and-a-half-minute answer to the question ‘what do Conando?’.
Ocean Of Boiling Skin follows the forty-six-second Warpsword and wins the award for having the first song title this year to make me physically wretch, and it is no slouch in the sonics department either. This takes us to Vortexxion – the final/bonus track – seemingly present on all but the one-disc vinyl version. This is maybe the only track which will divide opinion amongst long-time Conan devotees, with its twelve minutes of feedback, ambient noise, sound effects and synths which to my ears starts to overlap with Davis’ other project, Ungraven. So, whether you will make repeated visits to side D of your vinyl copy will certainly depend on your view.
There are very few bands that have such a strong aesthetic package as Conan – the music, the lyrics, the artwork and the merch are boiled up and welded together brilliantly. I know at least two people whose wardrobes are 80% Conan, much to the joy of their significant others (at least they know what to get them for Christmas). And with this iron-clad aesthetic comes (I would guess) the challenge with every new recording of whether to use the same mould, and just delicately chisel away a subtly different sound, or whether to smash the mould (ironically, in a caveman style) and do whatever the hell they want.
Common wisdom would say that route one retains the diehard fans, but will also lead to critical rumblings of stagnation, whereas route two might have a greater ultimate payoff, whilst also carrying much greater risk. Of course, an alternative way of looking at this is that if you are the best at what you do, and you can get better at it both in terms of songwriting and production with each release, then crack on Sir! I’d argue that with Violence Dimension, Conan have taken the latter road. Long may their caveman battle doom roar.
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
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Scribed by: David J McLaren
