Conquer Divide: Coming For The Throne

Metalcore up-and-comers CONQUER DIVIDE have travelled a long road; they released their self-titled debut in 2015 but just a few years later the band went on a temporary hiatus. When they came back in 2020 with single Chemicals, the world ended. Eight years on from that debut album, their second album finally gets released to the world. Slow Burn is certainly an apt title for it, as well, given the delay and how long fans have been pestering the band for it, and we caught up with Izzy Johnson [guitars] and Janel Duarte [bass, vocals] to tell us all about it.

“Finally all those people who always say ‘where’s the album’ will be silenced!” Laughs Janel. “It’s been a long time coming,” Izzy agrees, “it’s very exciting, but a great sense of relief.” Despite CONQUER DIVIDE returning to the world in 2020, “I didn’t think we were back until we started touring again last year,” confides Izzy, “because we just love touring.” Once they were back though, settled into their new lineup, they got writing ready to launch Slow Burn to the world and inked a deal with new label Mascot Records in preparation, which gave them yet another year to flesh the album out.

When it came to writing, while many bands were badly affected by the lockdowns that stopped them gathering together to write as they once had, CONQUER DIVIDE faced no such barriers. An international band (members hail from the UK, US and Canada, though are mostly US-based now), they were already used to the way of working that the pandemic imposed of files sent back and forth. “It was kind of funny to see other bands adjusting,” Janel grins, remembering the classic moments of “can you hear me?” or “you’re on mute!” we all got accustomed to, that were already second nature to them.

As for Slow Burn itself, while the title might seem self explanatory, it holds more than just one definition to them. Izzy explains that she has two definitions herself; “with this album, I feel like every song could be a single and I love them all in their own right. It’s like every song is so good that the fire keeps going – so it’s a slow burn,” she grins. “Yes, I love that!” Enthuses Janel, before they both agree on a second definition – that it’s been eight years now, a slow burn to this point while they add both more pop and more heft to their fire before releasing it on the world.

To both of them, it’s much more a statement of intent as to who CONQUER DIVIDE are now in 2023, a much truer representation of them; the irony that they put out a self-titled album, generally considered to be those statements of identity, first and now identify with it a lot less, isn’t lost on them. “It is difficult,” agrees Izzy, “this [album] just is CONQUER DIVIDE, so it was strange to follow up with this from a self-titled album. We’re this new era of CONQUER DIVIDE, but not the CONQUER DIVIDE of Conquer Divide,” she laughs.

Not only sonically, with more fiery heavy moments and poppier hooks, but lyrically they’ve upped their game again and broadened their horizons. “Our lyricist is mainly Kristen,” Izzy begins, “and she wanted to branch out more with Slow Burn.” The first album dealt a lot with personal experience and internal feeling, or as Janel says glibly, “wahh my heart is broken!” “We tried to stay away from that,” she says more seriously, “and we’ve experienced a lot of life. We’re not as spiteful and angry – just a little more grown up.”

Lyrically, N E W H E A V E N tackles the idea of never being satisfied with what you have if you don’t define your expectations, while welcome2paradise is an excoriating look at the damage people have done to the natural world. The first song, Atonement, features giant, stomping riffs and atmospheric synths with Janel roaring “we are not the same!”; which Izzy says represents the band as they are now, a very different outfit than eight years ago. “And then the last song, gAtEkEePer, that pretty much describes our experience as women in the industry, the struggles we faced and have had to overcome.”

The struggles she alludes to come partly from being an all-female band in a male-dominated scene, even extending to their hunt for a label. “It’s an F you to anyone that said we couldn’t do it being women. The amount of times we were told ‘oh we really like you guys, but we already have a female-fronted band’, like you don’t have space for us, but you gave all these other guy bands,” Izzy remembers of their time between labels, “but there’s space for all of us.”

In fact, Izzy explains “it’s been a double edged sword,” though as Janel firmly states, “this was always the plan from the beginning.” While it’s helped them nestle into a niche and given them some push, it’s sometimes come as a hindrance in the form of sexism. But the band are determined; the two of them are extremely keen to point out that they’re the best they’ve ever been, and they’re not going anywhere. As we wrap our time up together, Janel quotes from gAtEkEePer; “we’re in the fight for our lives, we came from the bottom. There’s no keeping us down.”

Slow Burn is out now via Mascot Records.

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