Heads For the Dead – The Great Conjuration
Release Date: 2nd September 2022
Label: Transcending obscurity Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Wombbath, Gatecreeper, Entombed.
Review By: Andy Spoon
Heads For the Dead is a Death Metal supergroup composed of members from Swedish Death Metal gods Wombbath, vocals from Revel in Flesh, and lead guitar from Sentient Horror. Naturally, fans of Swedish Death metal ought to be particularly-excited, as these acts are all staples in the fandom, and have been for many years. Their third full length album premiers on September 2nd, 2022, a follow-up to 2021’s Slash n’ Roll EP.
As a big Swedish death fan, I was excited to hear what this album was going to turn out to be. I have previously checked out the 2022 release from associated act Wombbath, and consider it to be one of the better Swedish DM releases of the year. Naturally, I am holding my flag high for Heads For the Dead, hoping that The Great Conjuration is worthy of some of the anticipation which it has garnered in recent months, even though it has a more “international” feel and composition.
Mixing and mastering-wise, this album is well-mixed and engineered, as all guitars and guitar solos are crisp and clear, especially in The Bloodline and The Jewel of Seven Stars. This is something that allows the listener to appreciate some of the beautiful guitar work from Matt Moliti (Sentient Horror). Rhythm guitars are highly-reminiscent of the “Swedish school”, leaning heavily into the “chainsaw” sound, although much more modern and “rounded” in sound compared to bands like Entombed, who helped pioneer the sound. Drums and bass are quietest in the mix, but not so-far back that they are “missing” as the sound is very “modern” and favors a lot of mid-range.
Ralf Hauber’s vocals are mixed in what sounds like mono, equally-present in both channels of sound, extremely-clear and present. This technique allows the lyrical content to be more “forward” in the mixdown. This brings both good and bad elements to the overall sound. For the good, it allows the vocals to have much more clarity and “presence” to the listener. For the (sometimes) bad, any out-of-place technique, pitch, or rhythm is easily-discerned by the audience, sometimes causing segments of the track to feel out-of-sync with others. In general, I don’t think that there is anything with the vocals that makes me feel like it is out of place, so to speak. It’s just something to pay attention to.
Content: I really enjoy the lyrical content, as it’s generally horror-themed, with constituent curses and arcane “conjurations”. I think that because of the ease with which the vocals are discernable, being able to chant along with your favorite tracks is much easier, and Heads For the Dead is smart in pursuing that. Naturally, that’s just an opinion, but being able to memorize songs without looking up the lyrics is a great way to make easy new fans. The Great Conjuration is without a doubt, one of the easier death metal releases to enjoy, lyrically, in recent memory.
The howling Nazghul vocal screeches that are often heard are excellent in adding some absolutely chilling emphasis at often “just the right time” on certain tracks, such as the very end of “The Breaking Wheel”. I’m curious as to whether they are all from Hauber, or if they were added after the fact. Regardless, there is a good amount of tasteful variations that make the general horror themes more fun and exciting. One of the last bands I heard with screeches that were as good was Deviloof or even Cradle of Filth, bands whose vocals are their marquee quality, as well.
I was not impressed with a couple of the tracks, which almost sounded like they were trying to incorporate some 1980s death metal styles that are highly-outdated. I can understand why wanting to have an early-DM throwback can be fun, but this particular track (Bloody Hammer) was otherwise uninspiring and tempted me to skip on more than one occasion. However, there were some redeeming solos in the song that kept me interested. I just really felt like the whole song was almost a parody, which it might have been. Perhaps I’m so daft that I just didn’t pick up on it, however. Anything is possible, I suppose.
Overall, I really enjoyed this entire album, save for the one song I felt was out of place. However, perhaps a greater exploration of the discography would make things feel more contextual. I still think that without the track Bloody Hammer, I would give this album the same rating, so I won’t detract from it. The overall excellence in bringing the howling, screeching vocals into the front of the mix along with well-timed and dynamic guitar leads, the Swedish-inspired Heads For the Dead has made an album that will absolutely be one that fans of traditional death metal ought not miss in 2022. 
(3 / 5)
