Conscender

The United States has yet another huge storm brewing and this time it goes by the name of Conscender. With their powerfully aggressive and highly addictive Melodic Hardcore sound, this fast-rising band has recently been creating quite a stir in their hometown of Reno, Nevada. The group originally formed in 2001 and in the few short years since their initial conception have kept extremely busy exploring and improving upon their sound, playing numerous shows, and even producing multiple recordings. Having released their first record, an EP entitled “Opus Dei” in 2004, the band’s unrelenting work ethic and dedication to their music enabled them to produce a follow-up album within less than a year. Even in the short time since the release of their first recording the band yet again managed to develop upon their already aggressive sound. With this most recent full-length release, “Victims of a Movement”, Conscender has definitely proved that they could easily compete with the pros.

As soon as the album begins it shows signs of ridiculous intensity; a concentration of raw power which essentially continues throughout the entire disc. The album opener “Strength in…” begins with twenty seconds of spoken word before dropping into a tidal wave of screams, driving guitars, and hammering drums. This song is a great opening to the album and certainly drives home the point that Conscender’s sound is ferocious. “Refuse” is next and here comparisons can definitely be drawn to Killswitch Engage. This song is hard, fast, and mildly exploratory; the band begins using varied musical elements. Furthermore, this track is even better that the previous one and it actually seems that as the album progresses it too only continues to improve. Quite possibly the best tune on the disc is next. “A New Conformity”, is a song which will not only infuse you with the power of a hundred gods, but whose chorus will also leave you feeling oddly full of love for everything around you. This driving, powerful track can easily be listened to repeatedly without ever growing old.

The following song, “Ode to The Circle” could potentially give you a seizure, so epileptics beware! Although noticeably more melodic, the thunderous slapping of the double bass pedals combined with the ravenous vocals and soaring guitars make this track one of the most brutal on the entire disc. “Clockwork”, comes in next and ironically, demonstrates the group’s ability to manipulate both time and speed shifts within a song. Mixing spoken word, screams, singing, and harmonization, the vocals alone demonstrate just how elaborate Conscender’s music can be. “Clockwork” is also the longest song on the album and is rich with a multitude of maniacal hard-music elements; from solos to pauses, this song has it all. Subsequently is, “This Rarely Happens”, a 1:41 filler song which is not at all uncommon for hard music albums. Although as a song it does not do much, it does fit in very well with the remainder of the album. Consider it a welcome break amidst the madness that is Conscender.

Now that you’ve calmed down a bit, it’s time to shake the shit out of you all over again. “Question Yourself”, will have you wondering why the hell you are so relaxed and then asking, “can I take over the world?” This song is short and simple but just like a large African rhino it trudges along without slowing for even one second. The next track, “Corruptions” is yet another one of the best songs on the disc. Although it is the shortest song on the entire album it packs a walloping punch. The chorus is especially good and features more of the band’s awfully well manipulated harmonizing vocals. Over almost as soon as it has begun “Corruptions” makes way for “Envy Fails.” This song starts much softer and less ‘hardcore’ than any of the others, but within no time boasts a near equivalent fury. The last two tracks are entitled, “Generation Gap” and “Generation Gap 2.” The former expectedly transitions into the latter, creating a fantastic finale to this amazing album. “Generation Gap” itself is a solid tune, but its instrumental follow-up is even more intriguing.

Conscender’s 2005 release features eleven tremendously produced melodic hardcore songs. It is a known fact that within the corporately-influenced world of music it is extremely common for bands to sound exactly the same and more over, to often times simply follow a recurring trend. In this case however, Conscender destroys the status quo. Although inevitably sounding like some bands currently out there, they manage to introduce unique elements creating their own brand of brutally aggressive and yet all the while, highly emotive music. Conscender might be a new band on the scene but they have without a doubt proven themselves way more than worthy.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Strength In…
02. Refuse
03. A New Conformity
04. Ode to the Circle
05. Clockwork
06. This Rarely Happens
07. Question Yourself
08. Corruptions
09. Envy Fails
10. Generation Gap
11. Generation Gap 2

Run Time: 40:47