ALBUM REVIEW: Conquering – Employed To Serve
Having started life as a two-piece grindcore project with a drum machine, it’s clear even from a cursory listen to previous albums like Eternal Forward Motion that Woking metallic hardcore bruisers EMPLOYED TO SERVE were never a band to stand still. Their evolution to one of the UK’s most promising bands was already well underway, but with fourth album Conquering they’re doing exactly that and completing their transformation. Taking cues from all their favourite bands as well as their own uncompromising, bruising hardcore, Conquering is the sound of EMPLOYED TO SERVE becoming the band they’ve always wanted to be and preparing to take on the world.
From the outset, it’s blindingly obvious that this isn’t just a brief foray into new pastures. Universal Chokehold has the kind of epic, stadium-sized guitar lick that’ll send crowds wild and features honest-to-god blast beats in an ETS song. Justine Jones’ hardcore bark is as vitriolic and irresistible as ever, as are Sammy Urwin’s roars, and we’re only on track one, there’s yet more curveballs to come. Lead single Exist follows it, the one that introduced their refreshed, updated sound to the world and it’s so easy to see why it was chosen as a lead. The stomping groove, the vocal interplay and the gang shouts of “This. Is. Hell!” in the chorus turn it into a surefire rager that – as evidenced by its live debut at the Download Pilot – truly goes off live.
Rounding out the opening trifecta is Twist The Blade and it’s here that we get to see yet more changes; Urwin‘s role has evolved into a fully-fledged co-vocalist and his sung passage opens the song before we’re treated to a thrash meltdown replete with some seriously fun, whiplash-inducing lead work. Sun Up To Sun Down folds in juddering, almost trap elements with electronics and halting, stuttering riffs around a churning, groove metal core; none of it feels forced either, rather that these were used to serve the song. And of course, Mark Of The Grave deserves discussion – the dual vocal assault in particular and the thrash-inspired guitar work that could come from any of the Big Four in their prime is sublime.
There isn’t a single song on here that doesn’t pack some kind of titanic groove, a breakdown, massive vocal hook or some combination of the three. We Don’t Need You packs in all three and there are some seriously stank-face inducing moments like the pre-chorus riff and the breakdown itself. The megaphone moment is particularly glorious; in less competent hands it could feel gimmicky or insincere; in ETS’ hands it’s simply brilliant and their use of empty space throughout the song to the closing fadeout is a masterclass in how doing less can be far more effective than packing every millisecond full.
Where EMPLOYED TO SERVE succeed with Conquering is in crafting an album jam-packed with hooks and that keeps its energy up throughout without ever teetering over into feeling too much, or too full on. Varying from blistering assaults and blast beats to slower grooves like World Ender works massively in their favour. Of course, all of that would be for naught if the songwriting ability wasn’t there – but it is. EMPLOYED TO SERVE have always had a knack for crafting great hooks (just listen to Eternal Forward Motion or Force Fed from their last album) but with Conquering they’ve truly taken it to the next level. Conquering by name, conquering by nature, this is a tour de force of heavy metal excellence rooted in hardcore aggression and sensibilities that by rights, should see the band take to venues befitting of its huge scale sooner rather than later.
Rating: 9/10
Conquering is set for release on September 17th via Spinefarm Records.
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