It is always risky business when deciding what to name a band.  Thinking back on some names reveals their lack of substance, while some seem to elude the imagination's ability to conjure something comparable.  CONAN have a band name that certainly reveals certain characteristics.  While MANOWAR may have the image believed to be closest to that name, looking deeper reveals the band from Liverpool comprise a clear representation of the name.  Forming in 2006, CONAN have released three prior full-lengths that testify to their visceral, war-proven nature.  With a sound so hefty and blood-written, there could not have been a more appropriate name chosen for this band.  "Existential Void Guardian" features a convincingly stirring side to the band's music, further etching their name among the immortals.

"Prosper on the Path" opens the album, and there could not have been a clearer choice.  In the early part of the song, an important look can be taken to reveal an insight in to the band's formula.  At one point, just the guitar is playing before the vocals come in and it is when the bass is added that the listener is privileged to hear how the two instruments round each other out to create such a massively heavy sound.  The third track, "Paincantation," must be mentioned.  It is a complete departure from the other material with its blasting, furious delivery.  With its blazing fast nature, one would normally believe such a song would be more akin to a Black Metal or Death Metal band, but yet again, CONAN prove their band has many more dimensions than assumed as they are always ahead of the curve with their music.

Instrumentally, this band is truly a sum of its parts.  Obviously, the basis is Jon Davis's guitar.  His guitar has such a biting, raw feel made so by a percussive attack, clever instincts, and top-shelf gear.  When listening with headphones, the effect is ideal in that one feels the guitar wrapping itself around the brain like a musical turban or a chokingly gripping python.  The bass provides the low rumble that rounds out the guitar.  As it resounds in one's mind, the vibration of each string can be properly visualized.

Thankfully, the guys are in agreement to playing Doom that isn't safe.  CONAN have always been weaponized to create such violent music in which solace is only found in the few holes where the chords ring becoming less abrasive.  Like some bands in this genre, CONAN thankfully understand the power of the groove.  The drums are always on point, at the forefront of battle.  Like body hits delivered to a boxer, the drums always have a step or two in front of the other guys to create momentum.  This becomes obvious in the fourth track, the humorously titled "Volt Thrower".  Once again, Britain reminds us that she invented Metal.  Like a pissed-ff Bill Ward, the rhythms move the music with their own counter-grooves.

The final four songs are live tracks, each taken from a different release.  While most bands stick live tracks onto the back of singles or a separate project, CONAN are certainly giving their audience their money's worth.  When contemplating this album, one must sort things out also keeping in mind that while overall this year has not been an exceptionally impressive one in Metal; in Doom, however, there has certainly been a great deal of competition.  There can be only one CONAN, though.  Theirs is a sound that, like bands like EYEHATEGOD, reflects the band's personality.  One can immediately imagine the frame work with which the band constructs a song upon hearing just a few chords.  These are things like tone, tone, and tone.  Joking aside, it is a musician's singular request to have a proper tone.  Some people spend their entire lives searching for the sound in their head.  Lucky for the public, CONAN are a band comprised of three men with a similar sound in their heads.  Listening to the live tracks at the end further cemented my praise for this album.  Anxiously along with other Doom fans, I await their tour of the States.  "Existential Void Guardian" is a slamming record that will be sure to please the old school fans and garner new ones.