Description
2016 reissue on gold/bronze vinyl with lyric insert. Limited 200 copies
From the very start of Death Metal the Swedes has been putting out quality material. When Norwegians were pre occupied with burning churches and getting as bad sound quality on their Black Metal records as human possible the Swedes churned out heavy sounding quality shit like Left Hand Path (Entombed) and Like An Everflowing Stream (Dismember). The list could have gone on quite awhile but I reckon you have taken my point already. In the autumn of 1993 the Swedish band Comecon was ready to enter the studio to record their second album, but they lacked a vocalist at the time. A call to their label and a subsequent call from the label brought the band a new vocalist for a weekend – Martin van Drunen of Pestilence and Asphyx fame. Van Drunen howled and barked his way through this one before returning home a few days later, having made his mark on this album. Comecon’s mainmen, the guitar duo, stepped up their game this time with a new breed of riffs and excellent drum programming. Comecon’s debut lacked identity, as well as tempo, tonal, and volume dynamics. The drum machine was quite simple, and it was more of a punkish timekeeper on that one. This album raises the level of musicianship further in each performance, and the songwriting is leagues better – it is dynamic throughout, able to handle obtuse sections and riffs, and it uses the fierce vocals to give the songs even more of an edge. Converging Conspiracies is without doubt Comecons finest moment, Im willing to fight anyone who argues that fact. What we are treated with here is an excellent mix of Death and Thrash Metal. Martin Van Drunen is one of the main reasons for the albums unique sound another is the absolutely delightful Sunlight sound. The guitarists, the primary role of the only two members of the band, are at their best right here. There is a full compliment of death metal riffing here – not just bludgeoning, hammering, percussive riffs, though those certainly aren’t missing. They have a solid grasp on what they’re doing not only technically, but also with composition, blending melody, dissonance, syncopation, stops and starts all being used as building blocks of the album. They are certainly still a Stockholm-sound Swe-death band, but they have found their groove here. Most importantly, their understanding of dynamics has improved greatly – this album has so much more to offer than being riff-after-riff bludgeoning my eardrums with chainsaw guitars. Comecon’s overall sound came together on this album, largely due to vast improvements in instrumentation and composition. Martin van Drunen howled a hell of a performance, and it came together as perhaps the greatest overlooked treasure in the Swe-death vault.
Track listing:
1. Democrator
2. The Ethno-Surge
3. Community
4. Aerie
5. Bleed / Burn
6. Morticide
7. Worms
8. Pinhole View
9. The Whole World
10. God Told Me To
11. Dipstick
12. The House That Man Built