Labels: Important
Review by: Kunal Nandi
An elemental doom match-up here, wood versus water, from the sorely underrated Conifer and pretty much correctly rated Ocean. Both bands revolve around the en vogue axis of doom, slow and heavy with almighty track lengths, although what makes this match-up so satisfying is that both bands have a subtly different take on the genre that means that they complement each other nicely. To be more exact, it’s Conifer’s approach that provides the contrast. Ocean’s track is impressive in its grandeur, baroque in its construction and proficient in its delivery, but it certainly ain’t nothing I’ve not heard before. Conifer however follow on from their fine debut album from a few years back, which seemed to fly over the heads of most people after something more prosaic, with a beautifully lumbering (though never clumsy) epic that dispenses with the traditional depressive chords for a sense of positivity, for a want of a better word. This dense fug of rock is genuinely catchy and has these excellent breakdowns that appear every so often. While Ocean are good, I reckon I’ll be spinning the Conifer side more often.