The doom metal community is one that I absolutely love to be a part of because every time something even remotely cool comes along, they will never stop talking about it for years. Sleep and Electric Wizard are the biggest examples of that with the worship of them happening on a daily basis throughout the entire community, but one name that keeps coming up recently is that of Conan. So somehow missing their brand new album would be next to impossible, and after a solid week of listening to this crunchy riot, I have only two words: fuck yes.

I’m no stranger to Conan as I’ve listened to everything they’ve put out thus far and have been quite happy doing so, but, unlike a good portion of the community, didn’t blow my mind despite having a little bit of everything I love. The sludge-filled backdrop, crunchy as all hell sound, riffs galore that go on for days, and a murderous attitude that can only be matched by the badass themes, it’s not hard to see why Conan has become a favorite amongst fans. Then we have “Existential Void Guardian”. Other than having all the awesomeness we’ve come to expect from Conan, this record takes it up another notch. No one is safe from the crusade that Conan sets out on with “Existential Void Guardian” is an absolute decimation upon the weak-willed souls who dare to defy the undeniable power that this trio has managed to dish out yet again but in a much more polished take. But don’t let that word get you down as everything about what Conan does here is no less filthy or nasty than what they’ve done before in the slightest. If nothing else, “Existential Void Guardian” is nastier than anything Conan has done before and it makes all seven tracks delicious treats one after another as treats that just somehow keep on giving.

The whole of this album is something that needs more than one listen to encapsulate all that Conan is going for here. It’s nothing overly fancy or anything that I’d call a grand experience as Conan simply does sludgy fuck doom, and they know that all the way and work off that phenomenally well! “Existential Void Guardian” is a glorious album that’s even more for fans like us who want something crunchy to really sink our teeth into time after time, and it’s hard to deny the powers at work here.

LISTEN to tracks from “Existential Void Guardian” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Conan on Facebook here.

FOLLOW Conan on Twitter: @HailConan