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The name, the toned-down guitars, the amps–oh, the amps! Everything in Conan's fourth album, Existential Void Guardian, screams, "hey, we're a Doom band, and we're heavy as hell, motherfucker!". Following the more aggressive path seen on Blood Eagle (2014), the Liverpool-based trio harnesses the rough and brutal side of Doom Metal and combine those with selected moments of sorrow to form a characteristic atmosphere once again. Chris Fielding's raging vocals contrast with the classic doomy aura, but often times the band speeds up things to match the crazy, rampant vibe, making for some cool moments.

The production and mixing could be better (we got it, YOU LOVE AMPS), but I guess that's part of the charm for a band that relies so much on sounding savage and raw. Conan managed to achieve what few Doom bands do nowadays, which is to be recognizable by their instrumental parts only, and with this new album they proved why the hype surrounding them grows by the day. A great album if you're looking for something more primal instead of magical in the Doom genre.