Worlds Apart

Five years ago, I was a power metal freak. I admit that I even liked the most flowery side of the genre and somehow got obsessed with the Finnish metal scene as a whole. Back then I became a major fan of bands like Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Dreamtale and so on. One day a friend of mine insisted that I should listen to an Ukrainian band called Conquest. They supposed to play power metal in the Keepers era Helloween style. So I sat in front of the computer and started to search for this new hidden gem to my collection and for a mistake I downloaded the one and only CD from a Finnish band called the same way as the eastern Europeans. I insist that in those days if my metal didn’t have plenty of speed with thunderous double bass drums and singers reaching really high notes then it wasn’t metal for me. When the download was complete, I pushed the play button and turned the volume up expecting a speed fest but suddenly I started to hear riffs that weren’t power metal riffs, effective but simple drum work that failed to impress me (“not enough double bass wank-fest”, I guess I thought) and a singer whose deep voice didn’t fit in the castrati style of singing I used to like. In conclusion, I realized that this CD was predetermined to be a dust collector and I was ready to delete it when a voice inside my head whispered: “Give it a try... maybe they’re as good as their country mates you tend to worship”.

Today, this style of music is one of my favorites thanks to the second chance I gave to this solid debut and farewell from this exciting band.

Conquest plays hard rock with strong heavy metal elements. The songs are mostly mid tempo except for one particular song, but we’ll get to that later. The singer is perfect for this style. His voice is very deep and he tends to sing in his mid range. He practically has no accent so I guess he’s a native speaker. The guitar is heavy yet melodic and the soloing is amazing. The drums are played by the ex Stratovarius drummer Tuomo Lassila so as expected his job is solid as a wall. The bassist in this record is the worldwide well known Nightwish member Marco Hietala. His job here is as good as it gets but the mix makes him sound behind a veil. The keyboards plays a support role son don’t expect a shred-fest like some of their country mates tend to throw every time they can.

The CD starts strong with the opener “Changes” which is very heavy and somber, especially in the lyrical area. The song is very well structured and has some tempo changes but its main achievement is its catchy as fuck chorus. If you’re looking for songs with great hooks and choruses then you should check out Conquest. Another great song is the third track called “No More Crying” with its awesome chorus. In this track the keyboardist uses Hammond sounds to create certain atmosphere and even a flute appears in the song. The highlight of this track is the acoustic solo in the end with its flamenco vibe and the fast fingers of the guitar player.

But the best is in the second half of the record. The seventh track “Sister Moon” is a clear example. It has the best vocal performance by the singer in the entire disc and it’s blessed with another trademark catchy chorus. The solo is great and the whole song transports you directly to the eighties. The best song has to be the tenth track “As Far As I Can See”. I don´t know if it’s a cover but it sound very damn familiar so I can’t avoid singing it every day. The weirdest track is “Heat of the Flame” which is not bad at all but is a textbook power metal song with furious drums and plenty double bass. As I said the song is not bad but is certainly out of place.

In conclusion I recommend that, if you enjoy hard rock with a dose of heavy metal like Oliver Hartmann solo project or even Whitesnake, download this record (cause to find this one for sale must be impossible). It’s a nice piece of music enjoyable from beginning to end. Strong vocals and top notch musicianship are waiting for you to discover. This is a hidden gem by all terms. Download it and you won’t regret it.