CONQUERING DYSTOPIA

"Conquering Dystopia" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by US progressive metal act Conquering Dystopia. The album was independently released in March 2014. Conquering Dystopia was formed in 2013 by guitarists Jeff Loomis (Nevermore, solo) and Keith Merrow (Demisery, Merrow), when enough fans demanded the formation after watching the two gentlemen doing guitar grear review videos on Youtube. Drummer Alex Rüdinger (Ordinance, The Faceless) and bassist Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse, Blotted Science) also joined and completed the quartet lineup.

Stylistically the 12 tracks on the 52:56 minutes long album are fully instrumental progressive metal in the heavy end of the scale (hence the progressive death metal tag, sometimes given to the album). The technical level of playing is through the roof, and the listener is treated to brutal heavy riffs, blistering guitar solos and themes, and complex rhythm work. Considering the musicians involved this is in no way a surprise and the music in most ways sound exactly like you´d imagine it would sound like. The album features a massive and heavy production job, which further enhances the listening experience and makes "Conquering Dystopia" the ultra heavy release that it is. It´s not only a brutal and punishing listen though, and it features a lot of intricate guitar work and melodies too. A track like "Lachrymose" is even a mellow melodic track with no heavy guitars, and there are other moments on the album like that (for example the intro to "Nuclear Justice"), so this is a more dynamic album than what it may initially feel like.

"Conquering Dystopia" is still very much a musicians album...designed to make your jaw drop and make you frustrated that you´ll never ever be able to play anything resembling what these guys churn out. There are of course loads of albums out there produced with the same agenda, but there aren´t that many in the heavier end of the scale. If I have to make a comparison to another instrumental metal act it would be Webster´s other project Blotted Science, which is also quite a heavy act. "Conquering Dystopia" features a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly, and upon conclusion this is a high quality instrumental technical/progressive metal album. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)