Posted in Whathaveyou on April 29th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Conan coming back to the States isn’t much of a surprise, and it’s likewise in-character for them to unfurl a whole new-album’s-worth of shows supporting — wait for it — a new album. The record in question, Violence Dimension (review here), was released just last week, and the superlatively heavy UK trio will likely spend the next two years celebrating its arrival with the special kind of crush that seems to be held in reserve for their riffing.
The poster is rad in the way of Art®, and they’ll be joined by Mares of Thrace for the run, which is also good news. The tour goes coast-to-coast and I see no real reason to try to sell you on it, because it’s Conan, and you already know they destroy.
So here’s where they’ll be doing that:
CONAN – US TOUR – AUGUST 2025!!!!!
Prepare for battle doom! Conan is coming to blaze a path with their new album Violence Dimension, and they’re bringing Mares of Thrace.
All dates on sale today at link in artist bios: @hailconan @mares_of_thrace
You can see all the cities/venues on the second slide, or below here.
8/22 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies 8/23 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme 8/24 – Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle 8/25 – Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary 8/26 – Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups 8/27 – Youngstown, OH @ West Side Bowl 8/28 – Brooklyn, NY @ TV Eye 8/30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s 8/31 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro 9/02 – TBA 9/03 – Asheville, NC @ Eulogy 9/04 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl 9/05 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa 9/06 – Houston, TX @ White Oak 9/07 – Austin, TX @ Come And Take It Live 9/09 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister 9/10 – Mesa, AZ @ Rosetta Room 9/11 – Las Vegas, NV @ TBA 9/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo 9/13 – Palmdale, CA @ Transplants 9/14 – Oakland, CA @ Stork Club 9/15 – Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonial 9/17 – Eugene, OR @ John Henry’s 9/18 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios 9/19 – Seattle, WA @ Clockout Lounge 9/20 – Missoula, MT @ VFW 209 9/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 9/23 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge 9/24 – Minneapolis, MN @ Zhora Darling 9/25 – Milwaukee, WI @ X-Ray Arcade
CONAN is Jon Davis – Vocals/Guitars Johnny King – Drums David Ryley – Bass
Posted in Reviews on April 25th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Nearly 20 years on from their inception in 2006, Conan are an established brand when it comes to destruction, and so, that they would pointedly take violence as the theme of an album, Violence Dimension, makes sense in a way. The first lines on the record, after “Foeman’s Flesh” has laid out its tonal brunt in a signature riff from founding guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis, soon joined by drummer Johnny King and bassist David Ryley (Fudge Tunnel) — the latter of whom is making his first appearance — are, “Time will kill/This is life.” So we see that from the very outside, Conan are not only working to portray violence of the mass-scale or punch-you-in-the-solar-plexus types, but also the backdrop natural violence of the world and the fact that life ends.
This thematic plays out over a course of seven songs and 47 minutes (that jumps to eight songs/59 minutes if you get the 12-minute bonus track “Vortexxion”), and the aforementioned opener is one of three cuts over nine minutes long, alongside “Total Bicep” (9:27), “Violence Dimension” (9:14) and the finale, “Ocean of Boiling Skin” (10:04). That’s not such a radical change structurally from what Conan wrought on 2022’s attempt to crush the ridiculousness of our age, Evidence of Immortality (review here), but it does tell you that even as Conan bring in a new bassist, they remain dug into the trajectory — that’s not to say ‘path of devastation’ — they’ve been on. That’s audible in some of the speedier riffing in “Desolation Hexx” (5:18), and the later shove-mosher “Frozen Edges of the Wound,” which makes a hook of, “This is our victory/This is our time,” as well as the 46-second grindcore blowout “Warpsword,” which feels like a direct answer to the sub-minute “Paincantation” from 2018’s Existential Void Guardian (review here).
It’s a tool in Conan‘s arsenal they’ve chosen to put to use, and behind a lot of what is happening across Violence Dimension, whether it’s the mercurial tempo shifts in “Total Bicep,” which seems to be in a feedback loop of its own speed and aggression, or the title-track, which uses minimalism in its early going in a way I’m not sure Conan ever have before to create an Earth-style drone nod across much of its first half. Of course, it gets heavier to offset the quieter parts, and there are low-growled vocals later, but that the quiet part exists at all is the point.
I’m assuming that’s Ryley on vocals, stepping into the secondary-singer role formerly held by Chris Fielding, who as regards Conan has shifted back to producer-only, though if you told me Davis convinced Fielding to throw down growls on the studio versions, I’d believe it was him on the recording. Ether way , the dual-vocal dynamic that developed between Davis and Fielding was/is the most blatant example of Conan growing as a band over time while remaining committed to their core underlying approach, and even as they move forward with someone else, that isn’t being sacrificed.
And it wouldn’t be. As chaotic and as claustrophobic and intense as Conan can get — and at their heaviest, there are few heavier — they have always been methodical and conscious of what they want to do with their songs. They want them to kill, yes, but the how and why of that violence is part of what Violence Dimension is exploring. The title-track pairs well with “Total Bicep” just before it, as the prior slab is more of an assault, pushing into a midsection gallop that, while I have no idea what the song is actually about, is affecting as it slams into the subsequent slowdown, rides that nod for most of its second half, and fades out to give space to what follows.
Likewise, one could argue for “Frozen Edges of the Wound” as a reorientation or regrounding after “Violence Dimension,” since its shorter course feels more outwardly straightforward and the title-track makes a point of its atmospherics — which, rest assured, are plenty heavy all on their own, whatever take-a-breath letup they might otherwise represent. But all of this is to remind that there’s human presence behind Conan‘s inhumane sound, and that the transition to bringing Ryley into the band as a full-time member (because he and other bassists had filled in before) hasn’t derailed their progression, or even seemingly rerouted it from what their intentions might otherwise be.
That said, Violence Dimension is just the first record of the Davis/Ryley/King era — last year’s DIY 10″ Series Issue 1 EP (review here) notwithstanding — and it may turn out to be the starting point of an entirely new branching off of their sound, and you just can’t know because it hasn’t happened yet and evolution takes time. Or the world could end tomorrow. Whatever. Regardless, the remarkable nature of Conan‘s take — immediately identifiable, marked by distinctive characteristics in tone and songwriting purpose — lets it be so much its own while never quite the same twice. Aurally speaking, it is a great, hulking beast, and Violence Dimension continues this tradition organically and intentionally.
Conan have always known who they are and what they’re capable of, and though there have been changes in the band — Davis has in the past and here incorporated some ambience and drone also explored in his Ungraven side-project, which also has a new LP, Ryley coming on board, etc. — that self-awareness has never done anything but serve the band, allowing them to hit that much harder for knowing why they’re doing it and what they’re trying to convey.
“Ocean of Boiling Skin” rises at its midpoint to a huge, malevolent tsunami of a nod that comprises its final march into oblivion, and that’s how it ends save for the deluxe editions, which include “Vortexxion.” The bonus cut becomes the longest on the LP at 12 minutes, and in the spirit of “Grief Sequence” from Evidence of Immortality is centered around noise; in this case a few obscure samples bookending a large stretch of feedback and other frequency manipulations. It’s not an easy listen, but this too is the point.
The band list Violence Dimension as their seventh full-length, which is something of retcon of 2010’s Hoseback Battle Hammer EP (discussed here; review here) as their debut album — fair enough for how important a release it was for them — but wherever you number it in their discography, the fact remains they are uniquely suited to portraying this album’s theme. Cleaving skulls may not be anything new for Conan, but they’ve gotten awfully efficient at it, and Violence Dimension works well to tie in elements they’ve introduced over the last few outings while lowering a tonal palette of concrete riffs onto the collective chest of their audience. Very much what one would hope for a sixth or seventh Conan album, in other words.
The news you need: Conan‘s seventh LP, Violence Dimension, is out April 25 as their first release through Heavy Psych Sounds. Between that and the player below premiering “Frozen Edges of the Wound,” if you want to skip everything else I have to say here, I’m not going to hold it against you. Sometimes a thing wants urgent listening. That should certainly apply to new Conan.
Violence Dimension follows 2022’s Evidence of Immortality (review here), which saw the band widen their atmospheric focus, experimenting with drone and weight beyond the all-out tonal crush that is their hallmark. Those looking for progression in that will want to pay attention to “Vortexxion” — listed as a bonus track — but the 10-minute “Ocean of Boiling Skin” just prior has a quiet middle to preface the album’s crescendo. That’s an important part of who Conan are as they push toward 20 years since guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis first got the band going, but it’s not the only talking point. Though consistent in production thanks to the work of longtime Conan collaborator and former bassist/vocalist Chris Fielding, Violence Dimension further stands out as the first full-length to feature Fielding‘s replacement, bassist David Ryley, known for his work in Fudge Tunnel.
I don’t think you’d be wrong to listen to “Frozen Edges of the Wound” premiering on the player below and imagine you’re hearing some extra crunch in Conan‘s riffing, a bit of noise rock working itself into one of doom’s heaviest sounds. Conan have a strong sense of identity to their work — you know it when you’re hearing them — but as time goes on, they also continue to find new methods and ideas to explore in their work. The lineup change presents some shift in dynamic, but Conan are who they are and aren’t the types to fix what was never broken in the first place. So much the better for the creative path they’re on.
April 25 is the release date. Conan do a quick swing through the Pacific Coast of Asia at the end of February and will continue on from there to New Zealand and Australia. All confirmed shows I’ve seen are below, but yes, more touring is likely, especially as they’ve already been confirmed for Desertfest London 2025 this May.
Enjoy the track:
Conan, “Frozen Edges of the Wound” track premiere
CONAN – New album “Violence Dimension” out April 25th on Heavy Psych Sounds
About the album: “Violence Dimension is our 7th full length release. We have come quite a distance in time and space since we released Horseback in 2010. One thing that binds us all is violence be that within a video game or in a movie or on the daily news. Violence affects our daily life perhaps more than love or kindness ever will. We are all bound by death whether we like it or not. This release explores the hinterland between being scared to live and bring scared to die and punches holes in the idea that we must live our life by one set of rules. We all live in the violence dimension and there is no escape.”
About the song: “A song for anyone fighting, whether that be an external or internal foe. Have strength for death comes to us all, just don’t make it an easy kill.”
Tracklist: 1. Foeman’s Flesh 2. Desolation Hexx 3. Total Bicep 4. Violence Dimension 5. Frozen Edges of The Wound 6. Warpsword 7. Ocean of Boiling Skin 8. Vortexxion (bonus track)
CONAN (UK) ASIA TOUR 2025 2/24 Mon – Tokyo 2/25 Tue – Osaka 2/26 Wed – Tokyo 2/27 Thu – Taipei 2/28 Fri – Singapore 3/2 Sun – Bangkok
CONAN (UK) NEW ZEALAND TOUR w/ BORER Thu 6 March | Valhalla, Wellington Fri 7 March | Sydenham Underpass, Christchurch Sat 8 March | Double Whammy, Auckland
CONAN (UK) AUSTRALIA TOUR 2025 w/ PALLBEARER Wed 12 March | Max Watts, Melbourne Thurs 13 March | Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide Fri 14 March | Crowbar, Sydney Sat 15 March | Crowbar, Brisbane
