Yet
again I find myself in the Underworld, the dark underbelly of Camden, for
another Conan show. What delights await me this time! Nothing but the most
disgusting and slow doom of course! It’s been a few months since I've seen
Conan, the last time was when they supported the fantastic High on Fire. Bar a
new drummer not much has changed for the trio. Their sound was still as heavy
as ever and their hoods still haven’t come down.
Part
of what makes Conan such a spectacle live, is the fantastic sound. They are a
band who absolutely have their sound sorted for this size venue. You can feel
the air around you oscillate with electricity each time they strum their
guitars. They have such a tight guitar sound that it just feels and sounds like
a singular 20 foot guitar being played by a giant.
The
low lighting and black hoodies add volume too. The look completes the desolate
and bleak musical quality to give you a real trance inducing experience. They
are definitely one of the most ‘metal’ bands I've seen live, perfectly matching
music to attitude. They don’t need to swing their heads around and jump off the
top of amp stacks to get the crown going. All they need to do is scream and
look evil!
On
to the subject of the new drummer, he is bloody great. He
has a real Tryptikon vibe about him with amazing drum rolls and fills. His
precision was perfect and execution was spot on. He made great use of cymbals
too, not overdoing any aspect of his rhythm keeping.
My
only complaint is by the end of the gig I was so deafened, that a gig I went to
the day after was slightly ruined (this may be a sign that my hearing is ruined
in general now however). As with the last few gig’s I've been to at the
Underworld, the room is so reflective that you just feel ruined after. Time to invest in some ear plugs I think!
To
anyone who has noticed a Conan gig coming up soon in their local area but is
undecided about going, take it from me, these guys rule. You’ll be hard pressed
to find such an atmospheric power trio who can suck you in and spit you out
with such ferocity! Thanks for reading y’all!
Words by: Asher G.
Alexander
