I like to listen to music while in the car and it so just happens that one of my side hustles involves me spending a lot of time in my Volvo driving about. What, did you think that writing alone pays the bills? In this economy? Today I found myself listening to Conjurer’s latest LP, Páthos (Nuclear Blast), while doing the usual of routine of picking up packages and dropping them off elsewhere. Conjurer was working nicely for me, but I recall the confused look etched on the young woman’s face who gave me my coffee at the Dunkin’ drive-through. 

And there were those children on the front yard that dropped what they were doing once they got within earshot of ‘Rot.’ Later in my shift that poor dog wouldn’t stop barking during ‘Suffer Alone’ neither. Now that I think about it, the only ones who weren’t fazed were myself and that tuxedo cat sunbathing on the windowsill. He seemed nice.

The secret to Conjurer’s volatile sound catching so many off guard is that they tend to mask the upcoming freight train of sound with an acoustic start like in ‘It Dwells’ or even some clean singing with ‘All You Will Remember.’ With their defenses lowered the inexperienced listener will collide headfirst with Conjurer’s corrosive assault and are left in a daze. Downtuned guitars crash down like thunder and recall Car Bomb and early Mastodon. And much like Mastodon’s vintage catalog, Conjurer’s secret weapon is drummer Noah See who attacks the kit like it had insulted his family. Best of luck trying to keep up with him on bangers like ‘Basilisk’ and ‘Those Years, Condemned.’ 

While most of Páthos rides on a punishing mid-tempo, Conjurer lovingly points out that they’re willing to go full Converge with the sandpaper stylings of ‘Suffer Alone.’ See completely empties out his bag of tricks sprinkling in d-beats, blasts and volleys of double kicks while guitarists Brady Deeprose and Dan Nightingale bring the napalm behind it. Dizzying stuff. 

So, if you’ve picked up anything from this review is that it is indeed cool to expose your neighbors and loved ones to Páthos. It’ll be great fun. 

Buy the album here: https://conjurer.bfan.link/pathos-album.fpo

8 / 10

HANS LOPEZ