A View From The Back Of The Room: Conan (Review By Rich)

Conan, Conjurer & Made Of Teeth, Clwb Ifor Bach

Whilst Wales was being battered by Storm Diana, Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff was about to have its own storm of epic proportions unleashed upon it. One that would have the venue shaking as if the building would collapse entirely provided ably by three incredibly loud and heavy bands.

Despite knowing most of the band this was the first time I had seen local noisy bastards Made Of Teeth (7) perform their own brand of noise (sorry guys). Drawing from material off their self titled debut album and their upcoming second album Made Of Teeth made sure to set the tone for the night and that tone was loud and ugly. The band draw from a wide range of influences and to me they sounded like a cross between the heavier side of Melvins and Black Flag with dirty sludgy riffing mixed with hardcore punk ferocity. The riffs were plentiful, the drums were battering and the dual vocal attack of Chris West and Tom Cole was gnarly and pissed off. A great way to get things going.

I have previously gushed about my love of Conjurer (9) and how they seem to improve every time I see them live and they carried on this tradition by absolutely stealing the show. The band have a vast and varied sound and so they cannot be pigeonholed into a specific genre taking cues from sludge metal, death metal and post-rock amongst others. Conjurer are simply utterly mesmerising live with their songs are so perfectly crafted between atmospheric build up and crushing pay off. Conjurer songs can make you feel like you are floating in a warm soundscape before dropping you back to earth and pummelling you with gargantuan riffs. Conjurer are still one of the most exciting underground UK bands and I implore you all to see them live if you haven’t already.

Conan (8) are one of the heaviest and most intense live bands out there with a severely downtuned and distorted sound which you can feel as much as you can hear so seeing them in a small room was definitely going to be a treat. Conan take the formula of doom metal and take out any complications or sophistication forging it into a force of complete and utter brute force. This is music as a weapon and is the equivalent of having boulders launched in your direction. The riffs whilst simplistic are so damn effective and it is impossible not to bang your head when those crushing moments come as many of the Cardiff audience very enthusiastically did. Whilst Conjurer were a very difficult act to follow Conan rose up to the challenge and delivered in spades. An absolutely fantastic and brutal show.