CONQUEST OF STEEL : STORM SWORD – RISE OF THE DREAD QUEEN
No Face Records
Sending me a press release which focused primarily on how shitty concept albums are was Conquest of Steel’s cunning plan; the first time I read it I thought ‘yes, indeed, thank you for the ammunition’, but on reflection, I decided that they were probably calling my lazy bluff. Additionally, I don’t think concept albums ARE always a terrible idea. Sure, you get swathes of self-indulgent ones, universally reviled by the fans and erased from future discographies, but there are definitely bands imaginative and dramatic enough to pull off this weird and rather boundless genre.
Conquest, having taken the viewpoint of a sword, a general, a wolf and a pirate on their previous outing, “Hammer & Fist”, seemed like logical contenders for the latter category. Their flamboyant trad metal, all Maiden, Manowar and Priest, would seem daft with emotive, introspective lyrics; if any band was born to tell a blood-stirring, air-punching story, this might be the one. So, is “Storm Sword” unabatedly awesome? Not entirely. To their credit, it seems like the band have gone all-out to avoid being half-arsed, but that might have tripped them up. A full fourteen tracks are used to present to us various aspects of the life of our concept, Jocasta, and it feels over-laboured; we might all have banged our brains out over the years, but we can still follow when the plot is vaguer, with more ideas segued into fewer songs.
Not that I’m complaining about quantity – just that it seems to come at the expense of Conquest’s mightiest element, their thundering, howling, racing, twisting guitar work. Honestly, when they’re good, they’re red hot, way ahead of their continental peers in the same old-school game. There are some incredible guitar moments on this album – the jubilant dual opening of “Conquest Through Fire and Steel”, the muscular, thrashy push of “Scourge of the Land”, and the twitching, climaxing “Even the Gods May Be Overthrown”. Bassist Vic is on top form too – given Conquest’s Iron Maiden echoes, he has to be – and his work on “Raise Your Fist” is effortlessly cool. It’s just that these instruments don’t get the full rein they’ve exercised previously.
Dan’s vocals too – which I love, because they’re utterly without pretention – seem bowed to narrative, trying to fill us in on all the details rather than creating catchy choruses, although when story and momentum come together, as in “Lament of the Steel”, the effect is incredible. This album sees some experimentation with female vocals too – no, not in a Nightwish way! The warrior queen herself makes an appearance, trading lines with Dan on tracks such as “Unholy Union” and “An Empress Is Born”. Some people have criticised this progression, but the idea is a brilliant one – this is Conquest proving they’re more than capable of stretching to a concept album’s dramatic potential.
Although I’ve said many negative things, I respect the band more than ever after this release. “Storm Sword” is not as immediate as Conquest’s earlier albums; newcomers can sing along with those at gigs, despite never having encountered the band before. But there was always a limit – how long can you pump out “Bitch of Steel” and “Fistin in the Name of Metal” (ahem), yelling things like “Metal is for men!” at your audience? “Storm Sword” sees Conquest of Steel take an immense leap towards ‘growing up’, not in a boring way – that playful aspect will never die – but in terms of their ambitions, and realization of their own talent. Sure, I didn’t jump of my chair hollering (I still do that when I listen to “Hammer & Fist”) but I saw gleaming flashes of a band that’s found the path to something way bigger. Interesting, often musically excellent, if not quite dynamic enough, you need to hear this album to witness an amazing metamorphosis beginning.
69/100
ELLEN SIMPSON
