steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Conquest

"No Boundaries" CD

Self-released

Genres: heavy metal, hard rock

May 10 - 16 2004

Conquest is your average eighties-influenced power metal band.  They rely on aggressive, loud guitars and scratchy, growling vocals.  If you like aggro-metal, No Boundaries should appeal to you; however, genre outsiders are not going to be converted.

Right from the opening track, an explosive metal artifact entitled "Just Before The Dawn," you'll know where Conquest's priorities lie.  They value loudness over accessibility, virtuosity over melody, and ire over positivism.  As such, these songs are very solid examples of hard rock.  What they lack in melody, Conquest makes up for in pure energy.  Fans of Poison, Iron Maiden, and Quiet Riot should all be interested.

This type of music is plentiful, and Conquest - perhaps - can be seen as just one of the herd.  However, there is no question that No Boundaries will make a solid purchase for heavy metal fans.  What sets them apart from their eighties counterparts is their songwriting.  These songs aren't nearly as melodic as those of Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, and the rest.  The catchiness, instead, is replaced by sheer aggression.  Typically, I would add that the band's eighties-esque long hair and leather attire look somewhat silly nowadays, but they'd probably kick my ass for doing so - and that fact alone sums up their sound better than any needlessly verbose analysis can.

80%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by the band, released 2003]