It is no secret that most of the current Death Metal releases no longer tickle my fancy. That doesn’t mean that my love for the genre is entirely lost. The German duo of acolytes that is Conjuration is one of those bands that instantly managed to rekindle my interest in the genre.
On their debut demo ‘Sepulchral incantations’ the band presents their low-tuned and colossal sound, that occasionally ventures from the realms of Death Metal towards Doom Metal. Yet, the foundations of the band very firmly lie in Death Metal. An obvious influence is Incantation, but resemblance to more recent bands like Disma and Dead Congregation can just as much be claimed based on the material on this demo. Furthermore, there is an uncanny similarity in the riffs and the overall sound of Bolt Thrower, in particular on their first three records. That includes the Grindcore roots of that British band that are so clear on ‘In Battle There’s No law’ and ‘ Realm of Chaos’, and at times the sound on this Conjuration demo harkens back to the early days of Carcass as well. All of this is topped off with a thunderous bellowing growl, making ‘Sepulchral incantations’ deliciously heavy, groovy and uncompromising.
While a good murky and pulverizing sound can be enough to tick a lot of boxes, it is the songwriting dynamics that really turn this demo into a success. From pulverizing pace to midtempo groove, all the way to crawling devastation, the wheels of destruction never grind into a halt of tedium. The catchy simplicity of the melodies, the unrelenting ferocity and the mammoth sound are combined with genuine enthusiasm, authenticity and conviction. So if Bolt Thrower, Incantation, Disma and Dead Congregation get your blood pumping like nothing else, definitely make sure to listen to this Conjuration demo. It’s simply crushing!
