‘As you rip the aid from their hands, because no coin ever crossed your palm’
The night before last I was banished to the naughty step, it is from these barren lands that I write this. My crime is one of not reading my emails and failing to act upon the instructions therein.
In my defence I was gaily promenading the moshpits of Destruction, Obituary and Testament.
The natives have always been restless for something heavy to nibble on and my friends Conjurer arrive just in time for dinner. We investigate ourselves on this, their third album ‘Unself’ we undertake a journey of fragmentation and restructuring, a tale of honesty, endeavour and acceptance.
The title track is a treasure, hidden with an X that only the chosen will find and hold close.
The album cover is instantaneously a hit with me as I adore the work of Francis Bacon and artists of his style, this image, for me is as disturbing as it is comforting. I align with the drastic and chaotic, and I meld with the disruption they bring. It is the compositions here that I find particularly soothing, they are thoughtful, skilfully orchestrated to deliver a host of sensations. We are enthralled, angered, teary, vengeful and vibrant all at the same time. The delicately placed, still life moments are like intersections where we all meet to hold hands and exchange our concerns for the plight we all face.
Conjurer and I are practically neighbours, our Midlands heritage is under the spotlight at the moment, with Ozzy’s passing there is interest in what the region can produce. Our talents as Midlanders have always been under scrutiny, and we have to prove ourselves more than most, but that is where we triumph, as we take on our elders and betters and show them what we are made of, unashamed and defiant.
Conjurer are Dani Nightingale – vocals/guitar, Brady Deeprose – vocals/guitar, Conor Marshall – bass and Noah See on drums, a quartet of cauldron-dwelling creatures that crucially concoct a backdrop that mirrors our existence. From ‘A Plea’ to a demand, we cannot surrender, there is way too much at stake now.
The video for ‘Let Us Live’ is particularly wrenching as we face our doubts, laid out on the screen for all to see. There is no violence; the words are sufficient in their condemnation of our habits and our peculiarities that result in hatred, and selfishness as we steep in our brutality.
With a tour on the way, pick a battlefield of your choosing and stand fast, as Conjurer promise to gently tear your eyebrows off- yes even you cowering at the back.
I do hope I have made my case well; I will remain here until I am pardoned, until then my friends, there is no warmth on the naughty step.
‘Will there ever be an end?’
Azra Pathan
Conjurer – Unself out 24th October 2025 via Nuclear Blast