Drawing influence from such heavy hitters as Saxon, Helloween, Iron Maiden and Accept, Northern Ireland’s Conjuring Fate have issued their debut full-length. The album independently released, titled Valley of Shadows, became available in December. The classically styled heavy metal band formed in 2005 and saw their initial recording in the form of House on Haunted Hill EP in 2014. The five-man membership of Conjuring Fate views as such: Tommy Daly (vocals), Phil Horner (guitar), Karl Gibson (guitar), Steve LeGear (bass) and Bogdan Walckaz (drums). Hailing from Co.Antrim, Northern Ireland and experiencing various lineups, founding members Horner and Daly remain the driving force today. The band has shared the stage with metal legends such as Blaze Bayley, Diamond Head, Rage of Angels and Dragonforce. In fact, Herman Li of Dragonforce actually called the band asking them to support them on the Irish leg of their world tour!
Conjuring Fate – Valley of Shadows
The unmistakable wail of an air raid siren greets the listener before the spoken word announcement of “This is a national safety override broadcast”. And so begins near seven minutes of metal bliss that is “Our Darkest Days”, the opener of Valley of Shadows. This track basically sums up what Conjuring Fate is all about. It features some wicked guitar work and possesses a bombastic thunder, all overlaid with an engaging vocal performance.
There are more solid rockers contained therein like the first single released in advance of Valley of Shadows, “Dr. Frankenstein”. The song also received the video treatment which is available for viewing at the bottom of this article. The video was filmed by award-winning Irish movie director George Clarke of Yellow Fever Productions. The track is another wide open window into Conjuring Fate.
“Chasing Shadows” has a galloping rampage to it and a soaring chorus after its softer ominous beginnings. A thunder pounds along throughout the snarl of “A Primal Desire” and “Apocalypse simply rampages.
The final three of the eleven tracks on Valley of Shadows are re-records of the House on Haunted Hill EP. So you actually get both the 2014 EP and the 2016 album all in one here.
Overall
The compositions of Valley of Shadows are all on the lengthier side, half of them being decently over the 5-minute mark. So there’s no shortage of talent showcased, NWOBHM inspired thunder here.
All said and done, I enjoyed Conjuring Fate – Valley of Shadows however there were no real earworms that stuck with me. No tracks that were rolling around in my head days later. But there’s obviously no shortage of talent in this band. I’ve heard incredible things of the live performance and look forward to their next effort.
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Cheers,
The Meister
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afpbvQJpgIo[/embedyt]
