Woking’s heavy hitters are set to release their second effort under the Spinefarm banner and it sees the band transitioning over to more traditional metal territories whilst still incorporating elements of thrash, metallic hardcore and all things devastating within their sound. Now is the time of Conquering, the band’s fourth and finest record to date.
From the get go you can hear the shift in tone, mood and underpinning atmosphere. The melodic, softly picked intro to ‘Universal Chokehold’ lulling its way in before dropping a hefty wallop of double bass pedal and a dirty riff. In fact it’s a full one minute and forty five seconds before we hear Justine Jones’ familiar raptor vocals. In place of a breakdown we’re treated to a shredding guitar solo – yet somehow the band sound even heftier than before, the further distortion of the guitars only adding to the brutality in Employed To Serve‘s already meaty sound. It’s certainly a contrast to the introductions provided on their previous records, but never once is this jarring or confusing. Instead it feels natural, organic and totally, effortlessly ensnaring.
Lead single ‘Exist’ treats us to some nice split vocal duty between Justine and guitarist/vocalist Sammy Urwin alongside some thrashy chugging on the guitars. ‘Twist The Blade’ is where things start to get real interesting however, as we’re treated to a set of clean vocals before a crescendo of noise erupts from within, blistering guitar shred amongst the beefed up thrashing, like a marriage of extreme metal and the band’s more hardcore roots. ‘Sun Up To Sun Down’ returns us to the slow, powerful tempo of 2017’s ‘I Spend My Days’ reminding us that a metal song doesn’t have to be fast to be bulky or a musical piledriver.
It’s sixth track ‘We Don’t Need You’ that takes the cake when it comes to showing off just how far Employed To Serve can push the boundaries of what makes a song heavy without comprising integrity. It’s got it all; stellar vocal displays from both vocalists, serrated riffs that lacerate all the right places, and a full beatdown oriented breakdown complete with stampeding cymbal crashing, gangs-all-here vocals and megaphone style vocal distortion to cap it all off – it’s totally overwhelming at first, a huge departure from the grim callousness of their earlier work, but totally removed from overindulgence. Instead, it’s life affirming, which is what this album aims – and succeeds – in being.
Whilst Employed To Serve prior to this body of work was a band known widely for their sense of fatal nihilism, Conquering is a record about seizing the glimmers of joy that faintly illuminate our increasingly dark lives. Whereas their debut Greyer Than You Remember examined the pathetic futility of life and the following efforts The Warmth Of A Dying Sun and Eternal Forward Motion documented the grinding nature of the daily routine, Conquering is – at least in contrast – highly jubilant. Of course, it’s not sunshine and rainbows. Not by a long shot. The violence inherent to their sound is all but uncompromised and complete, but instead of a record that instructs one to attack themselves, it’s one that implores one to obtain joy violently from the hands of those who oppress and torment. All of this is delivered and articulated via a truly thrilling dynamic that marries the aggression of their developed sound with the deeply ingrained excitement and joy of NWOBHM orientated metal.
‘Mark Of The Grave’, another track previously released in the lead up campaign for the album, is a fantastic example of this. Crooning, almost smooth, vocals brawl with classic riffs energised for maximum headbang potential in a fashion that’s simultaneously forward thinking and nostalgic of the pioneers of this sound. This is followed by the aptly titled ‘World Ender’ which barrages with a wall of chugging ferocity and technicality that perfectly encapsulates the track’s namesake. The band have very much perfected their atmosphere delivery at this point in their career, the title track being another highlight that serves to fully display the range of influences and metal styles present here, and Justine barking “This is a funeral!” just as the song fully kicks in is one of the most adrenaline-inducing moments on the entire record.
An intense thrill-ride from start to finish, Conquering is the most triumphant and devastatingly heavy record Employed To Serve have ever put their name to. No strangers to being top of the pile on an album of the year list, they’ve struck gold once more with a record that should not only cement them as one of the most exciting, prominent bands not only in the UK heavy music scene, but around the entire world. In switching their style up simply for the enjoyment of it and to see how far they could push their own musical boundaries, they’ve effortlessly forged the greatest record in their discography yet. A true modern metal masterpiece? A big claim indeed, but it will be difficult to find anyone who disagrees with such a notion upon its release and this record is here to deliver on its namesake in a way that’s irrefutably thrilling.