CONJURE

We are always on the look out for the next ... progressive music ... something or other ... and somehow, it seems like it never arrives ... and we can never find it. And sometimes our searches take us to the usual things ... that we have heard before, and they don't excite you anymore, but you can still listen ... it still has some energy that you remember from yesterday, or last week ... or it might just be that you like that one speecial kind of sound ... similar landscape for your mind. Well, if there is enough courage to listen to something that you have no idea what it will be, or sound like, that has musicianship that rivals anything that you can think of, there is an album for you! There is a requirement first ... your suspension of the belief, or disbelief, that what music means to you, or that it should have this or that in it, or where are the lyrics that supposedly take you to all the lands of the mindscape? Given that condition, you will, then, be ready to experience this album. That album is HERD OF INSTINCT's latest album "Conjure". It's always a challenge for me to find words to describe the feelings and the excitement of a lot of the music I listen to, but on occasion the combinations are just way ... way out there ... and they just stand up so well, that you wonder ... how can someone come up with all that ... where is the creativity and design coming from? Yep ... the wording matches! It's a massive herd of instinct and then a desire to put it together. This album, is for those folks that like many things ... and specially an unbelievable combination of material that will have you sitting and wondering ... what was that? They just did that? Yeah ... some of the best music I have heard in the past 5 years, and that is saying a lot for a group of folks that I have loved for a long time, with a few friends here and there to create a magic journey in listening. This album starts well, and it is not until you get to the sequence of "Brutality of Fact", "Alice Kriger pt. 1", "Solitude One" and then "Ravenwood", right up to "Mother Night" ... that the real strength in this band comes so strong ... like there is no such thing as "heavy instruments" or a description that tends to define anything, and when you hear the mix here of soft and hard, it will surprise you, and probably help you re-think what progressive music really is. This album, probably features some of the best guitar and bass work I have heard in quite some time. Some of the press material loves to tell you that this has elements of King Crimson, and that this album will fit those fans really well ... but you all of a sudden hear something else that might surprise you ... and that was one of the things that used to keep us all in touch with that band a long time ago. And now, if you need something that will get your tastes flying around, the work in this CD should be enough to get you going and then some. In my book, this is better than King Crimson for my ears! In the midst of all this, there are loops by Steve Tibbetts and some work by Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree ... and if you think the mix of these people is odd, then you don't know the atmospheric pieces that Djam Karet has been doing for more than 20 years, and the mixes of many of these things with ambient sounds, and then the band flying with it ... is one of those things that kinda defy, not only tradition, but also the bounds of the definition of music ... there are not that many albums of music out there where the compositional standard is so insane and amazing, that you will be lucky to hear it in your lifetime. But I can tell you that this is going to be in my car on my drives every where for a while, as fruit for the soul to appreciate music, and some folks that not only believe it, but live it, and don't have to talk about it! Just play ... just play! It was, for me, the start of the 2013 year, as I just received this, and had no idea what it was or what it would be about ... but I can not tell you how to describe many albums by Djam Karet, or various solo albums, the last of which I still do not have the right words to describe it for you. Such is the nature of tripping along with music that loves to take you away ... and wait until you get the pieces at the end ... they will floor you even more ... a massively great finish that defines what this album is really all about ... MUSIC ... absolutely GREAT music ... and there is no other set of words for it. I have re-written this about 20 times ... in between the listens ... of a great album to start out the year! "A Sense of Ending" and "The Secret of Fire" ... will pretty much tell you what this is all about, and how these mixes come together so beautifully. It leaves you wanting more ... and a lot more! ... please ... some more ... Pedro Sena (2013) Printed with permission

Herd of Instinct combines the essence of experimental progressive with obvious recent King Crimson overtones, mixed in with the instrumental creativity of Djam Karet, a legendary US band that has musician Gayle Ellett handling the mellotron and synths. The music is dense, brooding and adventurous, nicely expanding the soundscapes of conventional prog. Essentially a quartet of Mark Cook (Warr guitar, guitars and basses), Jason Spradlin on drums, guitarist Mike Davison and the afore mentioned Ellett, the band has continued its usage of hired guns to perform on various cuts, just like they did on their debut album. The most prominent here is Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin who injects his fretless rumble on a couple of tracks, namely the terrific opener 'Praxis' where the fluid low-end combines nicely with some 'bicycle' guitar motifs a la Fripp, dense ivory atmospherics and solid beats.

The tracks are rather short, mostly between 3 and 6 minutes, which gives an immediate sense of freshness and breath, even though the delivery is rapid-fire and frenetic. The flow of expressive musical ideas certainly provide a sense of direction but this is most definitely an athletic yet musical display of masterful chops with great attention to avoid overtly technical exuberations, sticking to the mind-music philosophy of this interesting band. All tracks are standout pieces of glorious music, a dab of flute here, some trumpet there, pulsating rhythms and deadly soloing.

On 'Alice Krige Part 1' the music gets really spacy and ethereal, firmly anchored in stunning reverie and sonic anticipation, while the magical 'Solitude One' offers some sultry Middle Eastern motifs mixed in with almost electronic beats, a trick that doesn't often work but here it's just plain genial because of the solid percussion work and the dissonant sand storm- like guitar. Herd of Instinct actually deliver a fascinating instrumental ballad on 'Mother Night', with howling mellotrons, nuclear drumming, rollicking bass patterns and shifting contrasts between splendor and palpitation. The serene synth 'led chorus is melancholic to the hilt, a total success story! I mean, WOW! 'Vargtimmen' has Nordic glacial overtones, frozen bergs of mellotron sprawling among the lapping North Sea waves, reverberating bass buoys bobbing frantically amid the crazy guitar sinews, something any progfan would relate to. There is a definite hint of Anekdoten within the grooves. 'New Lands' inquire about more Floydian scapes, with a scratchy guitar barrage, pummeling bass and some sweltering axe solos, while Colin Edwin does a return cameo on the moody 'A Sense of Ending', once again showcasing his fretless magic. If you are fan of the bass like yours truly, you will not be disappointed, the deft finger play is simply staggering! The disc ends with the volcanic 'The Secret of Fire', a spewing musical volcano of sheer delight, showcasing the shifting electric guitar in a most psychedelic spotlight, a tremendous finale!

Moshkito correctly stated that this is highly innovative and futuristic progressive rock, I cannot agree more as the crisp production only highlights the modern feel of the musicianship. Sensational background music but also dense enough for the critical headphone sonic surgeon, there is a lot to admire and enjoy from these new pioneers. Definitely a revelation that will surprise many a skeptic, Herd of Instinct is an avalanche of beastly intentions, set to trample mercilessly every clich' set in its rampaging path. Great artwork to boot!

5 invocations

There is nothing routine happening on this jewel. Conjure crosses fine red musical lines as the surreal cover concept implies and the listener is never ready for where or when each composition is going to decide to end. Certainly nothing verse / chorus / verse about this Frankenstein. Dark mysterious forces lurk on this spooky instrumental whose themes and inspirations form sonic images of everything from a Swedish gothic horror movie ( Vargtimmen ) to delving into the supernatural qualities of fire ( The Secret of Fire ). The foreboding blackness of night ( Mother Night ) is explored with Crimsonian mellotron backdrops and gothic synth harmonies which contrast with more soothing overtones that paint a terrible yet sublime portrait of this fascinating time of day when everything that lives seems to undergo enigmatic transformations. The opening track, Praxis seems to draw some cues from Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells intro that was used in The Exorcist horror film which sets the mood for the rest of the album,a precursory for the rest of the work which takes the listener through a mind trip of abstruse fluctuating ideas and moods.

Stylistically Conjure is a hybrid beyond category assimulating eclectic interpretations of electronic, ambient, metal, eastern stylings with tinges of psychedelia and traditional jazz and at times even sounding like a dreamy new age soundscape. Like any cutting edge musical exploration Conjure can take you to many places in relatively short time periods using many different musical devices such as reverse reverb, loops and the use of unexpected instruments such as the trumpet and flute on the smoky Alice Krige pt.1 with it's cool hypnotic electro beats. The meticulously constructed pieces also give the listener the illusion of missing time. I was surprised to find that only 53 minutes had elapsed after the first listen and thought the clock was playing with my head and even then I didn't want the album to end! It is one of those first listens that leaves you aghast, saying to yourself : this I gotta freaking hear again man! It is definitely music for the future while maintaining a conspicuous mystical future/primitive aura throughout. The masterful employment of the Mark Cook's low action Waar guitar and fretless bass lines of Colin Edwin ( from Porcupine Tree ) lend an overall visceral feel and provides a common denominator that fuses the individual compositions together. And when Gayle Ellett's angry synths enter into the fray a legendary sound is created. He audaciously integrates the rather antiquated moog, mellotron, Hammond Organ and Fender Rhodes piano with cutting edge recording technology which make them sound like novel inventions of the 21st century. Conjure might be sporadically compared to King Crimson's later work as well as some of Bill Bruford's solo work ( think : One of a Kind ) but the overall aftereffect emanates from the creative recesses of the individual players that meld as one single entity that give Conjure it's magical preeminence. Despite their intrinsical differences, the 12 tracks each live up to their namesakes and manage to create their own visions within themselves. Even if they are subiect to abrupt mood swings at times the compositions still maintain an individual musical intellection, and though Conjure is not a concept album per se, the result is a circumscribed harmony. I got the impression that the music was actually some phantasmagoric living entity. Solitude One ( my fave ), which also demonstrates the group's ability to adapt to another composer's intentions, reflects this impression magnificently. There is so much happening in this integration of middle eastern / east Indian rhythms and charms with western technologies. The coda simply numbs the mind. While I am not familiar with composer Lisa Lazo she must have arrived from some other dimension of time and space that I don't know about yet. The employment of the traditional bowed dilruba alongside modern guitar loops/synths and keyboards and programmed tabla-like percussion is a perfect marriage that defines the delicate future / primitive intricacy of the music found on Cojure.

Dark & moody as it is, Conjure is a mysterious creature of depthless substance that definitely beckons the headphones. Conjure is not an album to be listened to from across the room or while tinkering with your 1966 Pontiac GTO project car. It requires fully focused, attentive ears or you miss out on subtlties that colour the album. Whether it be the sublime Alice Krige pt. 1 or the furious Dead Leaf Echo with it's poignant intro and Sabbath-like riffing before grinding to a halt. The barrage of changes and suprises on Conjure are not unlike what was being unleashed by Gentle Giant in the early seventies with their incongruous renderings and unresolved musical inversions. The very Crimsonian, conflagrated Brutality of Fact aptly demonstrates this with Mike Davidson's Frippish guitar lines that are constantly persecuted by Gayle Ellett's relentless synths. Conjure is not all that doomy and gloomy though. Upon the arrival of track 10, the evocative New Lands, a sweeping folky tone emerges which is evocative of a quest for discovery. It comes as close to mainstream affections that you're going to hear on the album complete with an almost conventional guitar solo at the conclusion which consolidates and gives the piece a conquering finality.

This is no garden-variety contemporary instrumental album. No showboating here, just solid musicianship and compositional structure. This is one of the most together instrumental groups that I've heard in a long while, tight rhythms, complex musical phrasings and complete disregard for convention. I'll be listening to this baby when I'm in my eighties for sure.

Herd of Instinct's "Conjure" is an instrumental album with some heavy guitars and embellishments of flute, trumpet, fretless bass, Hammond, Moog and Mellotron and some killer drums. Immediately one will recognise heavy influences of King Crimson, especially on the polyphonic time signatures of 'Brutality of Fact', even feeling at one point like guitarist Mike Davison is channelling Robert Fripp.

This leads to the spacier effects on 'Alice Krige Pt.1 ' with a haunting guitar sounding violin style, punctuated by African rhythms and sweeping keyboards. Joel Adair's trumpet is otherworldly and adds a genuine feeling of isolation and shrouds the nocturnal atmosphere. The flute further enhances the soundscape played beautifully by Bob Fisher; a mesmerising track.

'Solitude One' continues the ambient sound, with backwards keys and an Egyptian or Arabic flavour resounding; an incredible atmosphere. Another great track is 'Mother Night' utilising the fretless bass well and swathes of synths that transfix with their beauteous melodies. 'Vargtimmen' has a short narrative then locks into pronounced Crimsonian guitar phrases and grandiose synth lines. 'Malise' is more King Crimson sounds that have a dissonant aroma until breaking into frenetic tom tom percussion and blasts of guitar distortion. There is a heavier feel on 'New Lands' with a driving fast tempo and more aggressive guitar expulsions. The lead break is dynamic and frenetic.

'A Sense of an Ending' slows things down to a simmering keyboard and bold fretless bassline notations. The effervescent keyboard phrases are coupled by guitar glissando and some distorted off beat rhythms. 'The Secret of Fire' closes things off with glistening key pads and phased lead guitar over a relentless bass and drum signature. The melody is more upbeat and it ends with an improvisation of sustained lead and ethereal synth. It is a wonderful journey and one of the better instrumental albums out there.

US foursome HERD OF INSTINCT was formed in 2007, and following four years of work with a number of guest musicians helping out they released their self-titled debut album in 2011. "Conjure" is their sophomore production, and was released through Djam Karet's indie label Firepool Records in 2013.

If you have a taste for instrumental rock that resides within the more demanding parts of the progressive rock universe, Herd Of Instinct is a band that merits an inspection. Structurally complex material using electronic effects and metal inspired details in a framework defined by Frippian inspired guitar details, and I'd recommend this band to fans of early 80's King Crimson and classic Djam Karet, especially those amongst them with a taste for artists such as Ozric Tentacles.

Herd of Instinct is a quite intresting band from newer generation of prog bands. Conjure is the second offer from 2013 and I might confess I was both delighted by some piecesd and bored to death by others. Definetly the sound is something between heavier section a la Kind Crimson with electronic experimental arrangements, jazzy moments, avant prog escapades, a real mix bag here. Dead Leaf Echo or New lands are definetly solid, but when the music beggins to be very avant and experimental with electronic keyboards and abient sounds then something is not right for my ears like Solitude one or A Sense of an Ending. Overall decent I might say, almost half of the album is great the rest is boring to death. 3 stars is best I can give and btw strange art work like the music aswell.