CONQUEST : WRITHE

"Conquest: Writhe" is the 2nd album by Swedish post hardcore act Burst. The album was released through PFC/Prank Records in 2000. The 11 tracks on the 36:06 minutes long album are also featured on the "In Coveting Ways & Conquest: Writhe (2003)" compilation album along with the 6 tracks from the 2002 "In Coveting Ways" EP.

Burst debut full-length studio album titled "Two Faced (1998)" was a pretty simple and effective hardcore album with melodic leanings that showed the more progressive direction that Burst would take later on in their career, but only in very brief glimpses. With "Conquest: Writhe", Burst take another step towards the more experimental sound they would perfect on "Prey on Life (2003)".

The music is melodic post hardcore with a few experimental elements here and there. An example would be the screaming (almost growling vocals) over an acoustic part in "Juxtaposed" or the choice of unconventional notes and chord progressions which make this album quite different from other hardcore albums. I would go as far as to call "Conquest: Writhe" a sophisticated hardcore album. I wouldn´t go as far as to call the music progressive though. All tracks are solid but there are few truly standout moments on the album and it does get a bit same sounding along the way. There are not enough fixpoints/hooks in the songs to tell them apart. Don´t get the wrong idea though this is still quality music if you like melodic post hardcore (think a band like Converge) with a pretty angry sounding frontman.

The musicianship are generally strong on "Conquest: Writhe" and I really enjoy the melodic chords progressions and the tight playing rhythm section. Linus Jägerskog has a pretty extreme voice and it´s probably an aquired taste if you can appreciate his raw shouting delivery, but personally I really enjoy his brutal and fiercely aggressive vocal style. The album features a professional, clear and powerful sound production, which suits the music well. Upon conclusion I´d call "Conquest: Writhe" a good quality transition album that sees the band holding on to their hardcore past, but at the same time experiment with more progressive ideas. They are not fully there yet but a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still warranted.