Conqueror was a Canadian duo consisting of Ryan Forster and James Read, formed in 1992. They are widely regarded as the architects of the 'second generation' of Ross Bay Cult war metal, following in the footsteps of Blasphemy.
Their sound identity is defined by a total rejection of traditional musicality in favor of 'bestial' blackened death metal. This involves hyper-speed blast beats, extremely distorted and low-tuned guitars, and vocals that alternate between guttural roars and high-pitched shrieks. Historically, they are significant for bridging the gap between early 90s black metal and the more chaotic, noise-influenced extreme metal of the 2000s. Their influence is massive within the underground, directly shaping bands like Revenge (Read's subsequent project), Black Witchery, and Diocletian. Critical consensus views them as a 'love it or hate it' act, praised by purists for their uncompromising intensity and dismissed by others as mere noise. They remain a cornerstone of the 'War Metal' subgenre, representing its most primitive and violent extreme.
Shares black metal, sludge metal, aggressive, death metal (signature)
Shares hyper-speed blast beats, black metal, aggressive, death metal (detail)
Shares suffocating wall of noise, black metal, death metal, thunderstorm (detail)
Shares black metal, death metal, thunderstorm, noise_textured (subgenre)
Shares black metal, aggressive, death metal, gravelly (signature)
Shares black metal, aggressive, death metal, gravelly (signature)
Shares unrelenting sonic violence, suffocating wall of noise, hyper-speed blast beats, black metal (detail)
Shares black metal, aggressive, death metal, gravelly (signature)
Shares black metal, aggressive, death metal, gravelly (signature)
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