Conan the Cimmerian began his tale in 1932 when Robert E. Howard wrote him into existence. Pulp Magazine Weird Tales published the early stories of a sullen, blue-eyed fighter that was literally born on the field of battle. He was a celebrated warrior by the time he was fifteen, and later made himself ruler of Aquilonia by strangling its tyrannical ruler Numedides on the steps of his own throne. Conan was at times a pirate, mercenary, thief, and always an adventurer. He came to be known as the Barbarian, the Destroyer.

Liverpool, England-based doom metal trio Conan got their start in 2006. Like their namesake, the band destroys everything that stands in their path. From the beginning they’ve based their sound and lyrics on Howard’s Conan character and the mythical Hyborian Age in which he lives. Between 2007 and 2010, Conan released two EPs and a split with fellow UK sludge/doom savages Slomatics. Then, in 2012, the band unleashed their first full-length album Monnos and truly laid waste to the earth.

A live album and a split with Bongripper shattered our eardrums in 2013, followed by the band’s monstrous second full-length Blood Eagle in 2014. Bassist Phil Coumbe and drummer Paul O’Neill left the band after this record. Rich Lewis replaced O’Neill on drums, and Chris Fielding on took the place of Coumbe on bass and vocals. Fielding recorded, produced, engineered, and/or mixed both of Conan’s previous full-length albums, the Horseback Battle Hammer EP, and the split with Slomatics. The new lineup brings fresh blood and a matured sound to the band.

Revengeance is a step forward in songwriting for Conan. The molasses-slow timing of previous recordings is still present, but album opener “Throne Of Fire” and the title track “Revengeance” drive a frenetic pace that is much more listenable than just about anything the band has done before. There have been moments of quicker stride in the band’s previous releases, like the galloping “Battle in the Swamp”, but Conan’s sound progresses on this album in the most satisfying ways.

“Thunderhoof” and “Wrath Gauntlet” represent the Conan we know and love. The crushingly downtuned guitars and impeccable pacing are still in place, but this new Conan brings a whole new level of carnage. The record closer “Earthenguard” drags you through the blood-soaked warzone, surveying the earlier song’s wreckage.

Conan have grown as songwriters and musicians, moving in a direction that should delight old fans and draw in new ones. This new album sonically conveys battle-axe swinging destruction while retaining the sludgey soul of their earlier recordings. More than any of their prior records, Revengeance channels the barrel chested, sword wielding Cimmerian that Robert Howard created over 80 years ago.

–  Jeremiah Nelson

Revengeance  is available 1.29.2016 via Napalm Records. For more information on Conan hit up their official website (and webstore).