The true Conjuror has risen! From the american wilderness three warriors emerge to proclaim: It is done. A triad of anthems levitate the spirit. Spiritus Levàte is the new EP by the trio of Troll, Set, and Lurk under the Conjuror name.
After a series of promotional demos and EPs, Conjuror made their album debut in 2016 with Fight or Yield, a favorite of the Vortex in that year. On their debut album, the band presented highly competent minimalist black metal. Songs were to the point, the songwriting straightforward. The real magic was in how dynamic the tracks were despite their brevity. With memorable moments abound, it remained a mystery how this band could so unnoticed.
With the bar set high, four long years came to pass before Conjuror returned. Like Fight or Yield, Spiritus Levàte draws from a catalogue of material that has accompanied the band for many years. The tracks on this EP were previously released on the Plunging Below and Final Burnt Offering EPs and, as with the debut album, the performances were tightened up and the sound reworked for the finalized versions. Being able to trace the band’s evolution like this shows that they came a long way and while the renditions on this EP show growth, Spiritus Levàte ends up an anachronistic entry in Conjuror’s discography. But first things first.
Demo version
EP version
Spiritus Levàte is off to a strong start with the wistful Coccoon of Scars that proves that the band’s sound also works for extended compositions. Melodic as usual, the track has a progressive touch on the riffs. For this EP, Troll handles all vocal duties with his passionate howls. Where Fight or Yield offered a diverse range of vocal performances by all band members, Set and Lurk made no vocal contributions on this release.
The following Nature Satans Church and Paradise of Death are both solid but they cannot reach the bar set by the band’s debut album. Though the Conjuror signature sound is present, the tracks keep treading water as they lack dynamics and memorable ideas. The production is on point but the mix needlessly obscures the vocals.
Spiritus Levàte is by no means a bad entry to Conjuror’s discography. Fans of the band get to enjoy improved renditions of familiar tracks but newcomers to Conjuror should turn to Fight or Yield to make their acquaintance. After a four year wait and a strong album debut, Spiritus Levàte is a puzzling release. The quality of both mix and songwriting suggest they would belong to a release that bridges the gap between the band’s early output and their first album, rather than a follow-up. With most of Conjuror’s early material now finalized, only the three warriors know what the future holds.