Album Review: Conjurer – Unself (Nuclear Blast Records)

British metal heavyweights Conjurer will release third album, ‘Unself’, on 24th October via Nuclear Blast Records.

The most important Conjurer album to date? It sure feels like it. This band, who have always been unbelievably adept at baring their souls, takes things to a whole new place and in a way that matches their musical evolution. Conjurer have surveyed, Conjurer have changed, and Conjurer have grown as a band, as well as growing as individuals. The result of this is happier people (we hope) and a band transformed, sounding more comfortable than ever, and putting out some of their best music to date.

I think the most amazing thing about this album isn’t the more melodic progression or the fact that the technical proficiency is so damn potent. Nor is it the important lyrical content, brilliant blending of vocal styles, and daringly anthemic touches, No, I think the most amazing thing about this album is that with all that stuff, and so much more, Conjurer have retained their innate ability to be so savage sounding. Be under no false illusions, this is a heavy and harsh album. It just so happens to be tearful, heart-wrenching, and downright beautiful too. Take a deep breath, this is a Conjurer album that allows you to, which is one hell of a surprise.

Who are we and where do we belong? What does it feel like to feel adrift in life? Not just because life can feel so directionless, but because you can’t find your place within the chaos. What does it feel like to find some answers? Answers that can help anchor you and allow you to make some sense of all the madness? That is what Unself explores, from both a personal point of view (vocalist/guitarist Dani Nightingale was diagnosed with autism at age 31 and realised they were non-binary) and a wider perspective, specifically society and its current direction.

It is immensely powerful, no matter the subject matter, because Conjurer throw their all into it, and there may be no better example of this then the stunning Let Us Live. One of the best songs released this year. Not just because it is a brash showcase of beauty and brutality, but because it has such a powerful point behind it. The lyrics are stunning, and the vocals deliver them with strength and determination.

It is just one immense track on an album of immense tracks, where the strumming melody and softly sung vocals of the opening title track has such a strong effect on the emotions.

This world is not my home; I’m just passing through.

This track, derived from an old gospel song, pairs perfectly with the giant finale of This World Is Not My Home. Both lead to an explosion of intense and unforgiving noise, but where the former’s chaos is brief, the latter is measured and focused, doomy and dark, delivering thick post-infused heaviness that stays with you long afterwards. Here we get a Conjurer of ‘old’, but it’s still a Conjurer evolved and that is what makes it so special.

There really isn’t anything that isn’t special in its own way though, as Conjurer showcase experimentation and variety across the album. From All Apart’s desperate eruptions of power, where the riffs are vicious sounding, and the vocals are screamed and sung in dramatic fashion. To the chilling vitriol and angular guitar rhythms of There is No Warmth. To the wild and fierce heat of The Searing Glow, which has the moodiest of middles (love that bass!), and A Plea, which sits in the middle as the connective tissue between the title track and This World Is Not My Home. It also serves as an intro to Let Us Live, but I think I’ve gushed enough about that track and what this album offers.

I do promise you this, no matter what you think about this record in the end, you will feel something. It is simply too powerful and as if to prove that point, Hang Them in Your Head unleashes a torrent of heaviness and Foreclosure takes the intensity in a more elaborate, erratic, and enigmatic direction.

Staggering music. I don’t think Conjurer have ever sounded this necessary. Their finest work to date, and one of the best albums of the year.

Conjurer – Unself Track Listing:

1. Unself
2. All Apart
3. There Is No Warmth
4. The Searing Glow
5. A Plea
6. Let Us Live
7. Hang Them in Your Head
8. Foreclosure
9. This World Is Not My Home

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