Album Of The Day- Conifer-"Crown Fire" (2008)

The Album of the Day is "Crown Fire" by Conifer.



Reviews:

"Conifer engage in slow-burning, gradually building metallic indie postrock exercises. Somewhere between the creeping epic dirge of Neurosis, Pelican, and ISIS, Seam/Slint-esque post-rock, and the wonky sludge of Harvey Milk and Cable, these guys also bust out some wicked prog dexterity, complex riffs and brontosaurus-stomp stoner pummel, massive monstrous downer gunk à la Khanate and Buried At Sea, bizarre goblin vocals, pretty melodic indie passages, gorgeous celestial electronics, and so much more. It's fucking earth shaking, that's for sure." -- Crucial Blast

"Conifer sleepily trawl through the dark recesses of post rock, taking the languorous slow burning churn of bands like Slint or Seam or Bastro, all dark and brooding, simple and insistent, and stretching the riffs and melodies into expansive stretches of moody melancholy, swathed in Pink Floydian swoosh and whirl before dropping the bomb. Massive downtuned guitars explode, splitting post rock atoms into clumps of corrosive riffage, peppered with raspy howls and screeching banshee melodies, sometimes gaining momentum and becoming unstoppable exercises in epic doomy drone-metal à la Neurosis or ISIS, sometimes becoming glacial explorations into slow motion doom à la Khanate, and other times employing distorted ghostly computer vocals and buzzing psychedelia into Butthole Surfers-like sonic freakouts." -- Aquarius Records

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Though Conifer has received quite a bit of critical praise, they've somehow managed to live off the grid for the past six years. With Crown Fire, the band will finally get the exposure they deserve. Mixing post-rock, kraut-rock, metal, and psychedelia, Conifer has created a relentlessly driving and hypnotic masterpiece. Crown Fire's only vocals are Oxbow's Eugene Robinson fronting the album's final 13-minute epic.

Conifer has been writing primarily instrumental music with a lawless take on the styles from which they've taken cue. New content is found by way of augmenting brutality and suspense with time. The band seems to reckon with the notions of bands like Enemymine, Mogwai, or Grails while taking an approach that is entirely meditative (as opposed to premeditated). Minimal, ethereal passages are narcotically lengthened and crescendos of distortion are sustained well beyond the boundaries adhered to by many of their peers.

Hailing from the capital of the heavy state of Maine, Conifer has an extremely close relationship with fellow travelers Ocean. These two groups have shared a lot over the years, including members, tour transportation, and practice spaces. Though different in sound, they're quite kindred in spirit and obviously Conifer is essential for anyone who loved Ocean's Here Where Nothing Grows.

Track Listing:

01. Surface Fire (MP3)
02. Cruciform Empennage
03. History of Disappointments
04. Song for Krom (MP3)
05. Breath. Hold
06. Into the Gauntlet
07. Crown Fire (MP3)

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